Dark Diaries
by Rocker-Starlight
Summary: In a world with children who protect it with digital monsters, can one boy keep himself from falling into the darkness? A digimon fanfic, set in Lord Archive's diaries storyline, with permission.
1. Entry 1 Times of Change

__

'Who are you...'

Darkness surrounded him, not even allowing him to see his own body, as he heard the words in his mind.

__

'Who are you.... Why are you here...'

His head whipped around, searching the black landscape for the echoing voice's source "Where am I?!" his voice had a slightly panicked tone to it as he yelled.

Silence continued on in the void around him, making him edgier by the moment. He took a couple steps, his hands and feet finding nothing but the flat surface underneath him, until another voice spoke, this time coming stronger then the prior one had.

__

'**You shouldn't be here!'**

Without warning, the floor he had been standing on disappeared. His body flailed in terror as he felt air rushing around him, before his body turned in the direction he was being pulled. Below him, he could see the Earth, hurtling closer as his body continued it's neck breaking fall. He closed his eyes, curling himself into a ball, awaiting sudden end of his decent, when the stronger voice once again spoke, almost booming inside his mind again.

**__**

'Be gone!'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Erin gave a start, giving a sudden scream as he bolted up in his bed. He quickly glanced around the dark room, thankful as the moonlight from the window showered into the room. Breathing heavily, he pushed the his blankets off of his legs, stretching them over the edge of his bed, trying to compose himself. On weakened legs, he walked to his windows, ignoring the lack of clothing he slept in, as he pushed the window up, the wind causing a shiver against his sweat covered body.

"The same nightmare..." He muttered to himself softly, leaning against the window frame. "That's the tenth time in the last two months. But that voice at the end..." Glancing out of the window, he looked above the buildings outside his room, looking to the sky. Although the city lights dimmed how many stars he could see, the moon was full and high in the sky, not even a cloud blocking it from him. He crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at it, wondering a little more, before he heard a soft gasp behind him.

Turning his head, his cheeks flushed, seeing a familiar figure having stepped inside his door way. "Selene, can't you even knock?" He couldn't put any real bite in the sentence, although he was more then a little embarrassed. He grabbed a towel he had left on the chair by his desk, wrapping it around his waist. "You'd think you would remember that by now..."

"B..But, I heard you scream..." He could see the young female fidgeting slightly as she spoke, her voice almost a soft whisper. Once the towel was around his waist, she walked further into the room, stepping up to the opposite side of the window from him. The moonlight illuminated her face, her long, black hair uncombed, showing she had come straight from her own room. She tugged the light blue robe she wore a little tighter around her, shivering slightly in the night wind. Her ice blue eyes twinkled slightly from the moonlight as she looked up at him. "You had that dream again, didn't you?"

He nodded slightly, his arms crossed over his chest again. He had an average build, although he was thankful he was sucking in to hide the slight pouch of a stomach he had. He wasn't overweight, but he was more then a little self conscious. 

The silence continued after the silent response, both their eyes drifting down, as Selene's feet continued to fidget nervously. "D..Did anything else happen this time...?" She looked up again, trying to hide her shyness by pressing her original line of questions. 

Smiling softly, Erin nodded again, pushing a couple brown hairs out of his eyes. "Yea... This time, a different voice started talking near the end... Telling me I shouldn't be there... I woke up, when I suddenly started falling, and looked down to see the earth underneath me..." Every time he had had one of those dreams, he told Selene about it. They had started in pure darkness, not hearing or seeing anything. Then by the sixth dream, the mellow voice had begun speaking, getting a sentence or so before he woke up. But tonight was the first night he had been woke up screaming, and it was definitely causing the young girl some unease, from how much she was pressing for answers. 

Selene nodded slightly, glancing out the window to the moon again. "D... Do you think the dream is saying..." She paused, her voice shaking a little as she tried to voice the question. Seeing it, he smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder, to try and help put her at ease. She flushed faintly, her own smile returning with a little more strength, before looked down again, continuing in a bare whisper, "Saying maybe you shouldn't be here..."

In response, the male stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the young woman, giving her an affectionate hug. "Well if it is, it can go to hell... I'm your older brother, and I'm supposed to stay by your side." He heard a small sob, her arms reaching around and hugging him tightly in return, as he stroked her back, trying to help her relax. "Besides, it's probably nothing."

After silently holding onto him for a few moments longer, she finally pulled herself reluctantly away. Erin brushed a little of the moisture from her cheeks, smiling softly as she blushed again, but smiled genuinely at him. "I... We should go to bed... Before someone else wakes up..." She leaned up, kissing his cheek softly. "Sweet sleep, niisan."

"Good night, and sweet sleeps, imouto." Erin smiled softly, watching Selene walk quickly out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her. He touched the spot on his cheek where her lips had touched him, chuckling softly and letting his gaze returned to the full moon, still fairly high in the sky. "As beautiful as her namesake..." His mind slowly relaxed again, soon letting the dream slip from his mind, before returning to his bed and to sleep.

****

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dark Diaries

Entry #1

"Times of Change"

Written by Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Erin moved with a slow, methodic pace through the packed in school hallways, grumbling softly to himself. Being near the end of the year in the Michigan school, he had worn a pair of blue jeans cut off at the knees, as well as a dark blue t-shirt that said "Ninja Monkeys are secretly plotting my demise." Over the shirt, he had a grey and black checkered flannel, which was a little unseasonal for the nice weather, while his feet had simple black tennis shoes on, with velcro straps holding them on.

_'School is a major pain...' _Erin thought, grimacing as he walked down the hallway. Walking into the computer lab, he sat down, rubbing his forehead. _ 'I can't believe so many of my teacher's gave essays as homework... And properly typed, to boot!' _Setting his bookbag down, he pulled out the sheet of paper he had been writing his topics onto, and hung it on the little paper holder next to the computer monitor. "Well, no time like the present... At least no one else needs the school computers today."

Typing away, Erin slowly lost himself in his work, focusing on reading each part of the topics, then staring at his keyboard to type. Having never learned the proper way, his style of typing had often been called 'hen pecking', but it worked well enough for him. Glancing up every so often, he examined his work, looking for typos and grammar errors, not even noticing as the time flew past him. 

As he begun his art class' essay, a tap on his shoulder caught him by surprise, making him jump slightly. Turning his head, Selene stood behind him, giving him her normal soft smile. She had a Chinese style dress on, a deep red shade that went from her shoulders to her ankles, covering everything by her arms, with a small black dragon design above her left breast. She held a small black bookbag in one hand, and the other was now resting on his shoulders. It took a effort on his part to not blush too deeply from how the dress hugged her petite form.

"Erin, why are you still here?" She watched him, her asian style eyes holding his gaze before he shook himself mentally.

"Sorry. Almost all of my teacher's gave me essays for a final project. Since they need to be typed out, I stopped in here to try and work on them some, since we don't have computer at the shelter. Why, is it late?" He blinked, not even having a clue where the clock was in the room.

The asian girl giggled softly, taking her hand off his shoulders and adjusting the mouse on the computer, pointing to the time in the lower right corner. Erin watched, blushing a little more in embarrassment, before he made a small, startled noise, seeing it was five hours after school had let out. 

"Oh shit! Ms. K's gonna have my hide! I had kitchen duty today!" Panicking slightly, Erin moved quickly, saving his work to a disk, and gathering his bag up fast. "Come on, Imouto, we gotta book!" He grabbed her hand, tugging at slightly as he moved to try and run out the door.

He paused before he got to the door, as his friend held his hand firmly, keeping him from leaving, and giggling even louder. "Selene, come on, I'm already gonna get chewed out as it is!" He turned around, seeing her bag on the floor, and her hand covering her mouth. "What's so funny about me being knee deep in it?!"

Calming down a little, Selene took a deep breath, watching him panic still. "It's alright. I saw you in here before I went to my tutoring session with Mr. Stone. I called and told Ms. Klink that you were here working on something, so you might be late." She smiled innocently at him, as she finished her explanation.

Erin simply stared in shock as he listened. "Then why didn't you say so before?!" He half yelled, making her start giggling again. He sighed as he let his body relax, not as worried about rushing home now. "You like watching me sweat, don't you..."

She flashed that cute innocent smile again. "Me, Niisan? Why I would never do anything like that." Her smile wavered a moment, as she glanced down. "Erin... Do you think we could go somewhere else for dinner tonight?" She looked up, a little hopeful of his answer.

The young fifteen year old boy stared a moment, the wavering not going unnoticed. "Somewhere else? Well, I guess we could, as long as Ms. K doesn't mind. I can call and talk to her about it. Any particular reason?" Feeling a little perplexed, he watched the young woman in front of him, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Selene blushed a little, starting to fidget under the gaze, as she answered quickly, "No! I... I just felt like... going out..." She fumbled over the words, pausing for a moment. 

Erin watched her stammer, noticing that she was a bit on edge, as well as acting more flustered then normal. "Well, lets go then." He smiled brightly, as his hand gave hers yet another gentle squeeze, bringing her attention back to his face. "You go get your jacket, while I call and let the old crone know what's going on, ok?"

Without warning, the young boy was suddenly in a strong hug, feeling Selene's arms around his neck, although her boyd against his was more noticeable. "Oh thank you, Erin!! I'll hurry!" She pulled back, smiling brightly now, as she ran out of the computer room.

Erin stood in surprise, still a little bent backwards in the position he had held himself during the hug. "Ok...." Shaking his head, he ridded himself of the stupid grin he had gotten from the momentary glomp. Reaching into his wallet, he looked at his cash flow, frowning slightly. "Not much besides my manga money..." Glancing at the door that the young Japanese girl had run out of, he gave a soft sigh of defeat. "Oh well. Manga's can wait a few weeks again."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Erin watched the sun setting through the windows of the bookstore he and Selen had stopped in, taking a small bite out of his sandwich. He glanced around, looking for the girl in question, who had left him at their table watching her jacket, which hung on the back of her chair. The store was still fairly busy, so only being an hour before closing, and he was beginning to wonder just when his friend planned on heading home, considering how long he had been waiting.

As if on cue, Selene appeared from behind a couple people, carrying a small bag full of books. Shaking his head slightly, Erin couldn't help but chuckle as she slide into her seat again, smoothing her dress out underneath her. She smiled sweetly as she set the books down, eating a couple of the chips off his plate before speaking. "This has been so much fun, Erin, thank you. I guess I needed a night away from everyone."

She glanced out the window, watching the sunset, which had turned a golden red on the clouds in the sky. "Why can't things stay like this..." She didn't look over, not realizing that she had spoken out loud. Resting her check on her hand, she gave a soft sigh as her face began to look a bit dismal.

Frowning slightly himself, Erin tilted his head, regarding his best friend. He knew something was wrong, just from how she was acting ever since she had asked to eat out tonight. She had been acting like she was forcing herself to be happy, or going into small depressions like the one he was witnessing now, then portraying the happy act to try and cover up for it. 

Reaching over, he tapped her shoulder softly, watching her give a slight jolt as he brought her back from her thoughts. "Selene, what's wrong? You've been acting odd all day. Did something happen during school today?"

Her attempt to try and act happy again was cut short, as her face lowered to gaze at the table. "Yes..." She glanced up, and gave another sigh, before looking straight into his eyes, amber and blue eyes holding one another, before she continued. "Remember that family I met a couple weeks ago? The one with the two children?" After he nodded, she pressed on, acting as if she were forcing herself to speak. "Well... I got called into the office today, for a call from Ms. Klink. She said that they already started on the paperwork to adopt me..." Her gaze lowered again, sounding more depressed then she had when she started talking.

Erin, however, smiled genuinely at her, taking her hands in his, and giving them a firm squeeze. He remembered her talking about that family, since it was the last one that had come to see her, and she had sounded like they were nice. "Selene, that's great news! You'll finally have a family of your own!" As she kept her head down without a word, he lost his smile, starting to wonder why this was the cause of her negative feelings. "Hey... This is a good thing, right?"

Selene's body shook slightly, as she gave a soft sob. As she looked back up to him, her cheeks were already wet from the tears she had been trying to hide. "Erin, they live in Los Angeles! If I go with them, then I'll move out there, and might never see you again." Her body began shaking again slightly, as she started openly crying.

Sliding his chair next to hers, Erin kept one hand in her death grip, as he slid the other loose. He quickly put his free arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. He almost lost his seat when she tightly wrapped both her arms around him suddenly, holding nothing back as she cried into his shirt, her hands getting tight grips on his flannel. He stroked her hair soothingly, holding her close as she released all the grief she had been feeling into tears onto his shirt.

Now he could understand why she had been odd all day. When he had lost his parents as a young boy, and was put into a orphanage for safe care, he had met her for the first time. They had both become close friends over the last seven years, and he felt like he finally had a family member again, in the young crying asian girl. She was only a year young then him, so they were commonly put in the same classes, or close, and rarely did they go out without the other. And now, she had a chance for a real family, but it meant they both had to give up being around one another as often as they were used to. 

As her sobs finally began to ebb away, he gave her body a gentle squeeze, making a soft noise to try and help her feel better, before he began talking. "It's alright. I know your upset, Selene. But it will all work out, ya know?" She pulled back slightly, still looking down as his hand left her hair to wipe her cheeks dry. "This is a good chance for you to have a stable life though. You can get settled, have better schooling then this dump. And besides, we can keep in contact over the internet. That way I can let ya know when I can come visit you. Then I show these new siblings of your the proper way to take care of my imouto!" He grinned widely, glad to hear a soft giggle escape her, although still joined with a slight sob.

She gave a slight nod, pulling back into her chair more, her eyes red from crying as she wiped her cheeks with a napkin. "T..Thanks, Niisan. I've been worried all day about how I was going to tell you about this. I wasn't sure I could go through with it..." She gazed into his eyes a moment, her lips turning into a very soft smile. "But as long as I know your behind me, I know I can handle it." As she stopped talking, her eyed widened a bit, her cheeks turning a deep crimson as she gazed over Erin's shoulder, lowering her head in embarrassment.

The young man blinked, glancing over his shoulders, and feeling his own blush in his cheeks now. Behind him, was a small crowd of shoppers, sitting at tables or standing around the cafe area, with every pair of eyes watching the both of them. Most of the eyes had a couple tears, having probably overheard most of the conversation, and many were giving secretive smiles at them. A couple had the decency to look away as he caught them looking, with a blush on their own cheeks.

Stammering slightly, Erin turned back around, patting Selene's shoulder. "Lets go home, ok?" After she nodded, he helped her stand and put her jacket on, wishing he didn't feel those eyes burning on his back so badly now. _'How in the world did I not notice them before...' _He asked himself mentally as he grabbed her bags, as well as his own. Putting a protective arm around Selene's shoulders, he walked her out of the building and back to the bus stop, ignoring the staring crowd as his cheeks held their crimson shade.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_'Who are you...'_

His name? He should know that, but for some reason, he couldn't seem to recall it. The darkness around him seemed to press in around him, but it felt different this time. Like a warm hug, rather then the smothering he had felt before. For once, he didn't feel scared, like this was all perfectly natural.

_"Why are you here?"_

His body stiffened in surprise. The soft voice was coming from near him, instead of inside his head. "Why? I...I don't know... Do you?"

Silence was all he heard, as he glanced around, trying to figure out where the ghostly voice was coming from. Closing his eyes, he slowed down his breathing, seeing if could 'feel' something around him.

"This place... It frightens me..."

His head nodded, feeling the fright coming from the voice, sensing it coming from in front of him. After a couple steps, his hands came to rest on a head of hair, about as tall as his hips. Kneeling down, opened his eyes, wincing a moment as a soft light filled the area around him.

As his eyes adjusted, he got his first looked at the person that soft voice was connected to. A small head of blond was under his hand still, looking a little unkempt, while the body of the young person --A boy, he was sure now-- was curled into a ball, holding his knees tight to his chest. The young boy had a a white robe on, going over one shoulders, and draped down to a little below his knees, similar to a toga. The back of the robe looked a little different, like something was underneath it. 

He watched the boy, shaking in the little ball he had curled up into, not even realizing that the source of the light in the small area around was the boy himself. He lowered himself more onto his knees, stroking his hand over the boy's ruffled hair softly. "Are you afraid of the darkness?"

The boy nodded, looking up a little towards him. His azure blue eyes held his for a moment, unable to even blink, before the young boy spoke to him again. "W..What's your name?"

Blinking, he shook his head, finding himself able to think much clearer suddenly. _'Erin...' _"My name is Erin. What's yours?" He smiled, trying to help reassure the youth. He didn't look like he could be older then ten or eleven.

"L..Luce..mon..." The younger boy stammered out, still acting a little scared. "H..He's here you know...."

Erin tilted his head slightly. "He? Who is he, Lucemon?"

Lucemon held his knees tighter a moment, resting his chin on them while he spoke. "He... He protects me... He keeps the bad people from finding me here... They want to hurt me...."

Erin frowned, pulling the boy into a gentle hug. "It's alright. I'll help protect you. Maybe I can help your protector can find a way to keep the bad men completely away from you?"

Lucemon tensed at first, before listening, and slowly relaxing in the teen's arms. "Y.. you would help me? Why...?"

Pulling back slightly, Erin smiled with his hands resting on the young boy's shoulders. "Because it's the right thing to do. I'm not gonna sit by while bad people try and hurt someone."

Lucemon looked deep in Erin's eyes again, looking like he was turning the words over and over in his mind. Slowly, a smile crept onto his face, a small one, but still one that seemed to be filled with hope. "You will... Thank you..."

The brown haired teenager nodded a smiled again, before staring in surprise. He watched as Lucemon stood, and pulled him to his feet as well, but also unfolded the back of his robe, revealing it to actually be four pairs of angelic wings, each increasing the strength of the circle of light around them. The wings each gave a soft flutter, as if stretching from being folded up behind him too long. From his hair, two small wings emerged from underneath the blond coloring, as well as another two that wrapped mostly around his waist. His left arm, torso, and leg all seemed to have a blue colored tattoo on his skin, running and ending at different points. The last thing Erin noticed, were the golden manacles around the boy's wrists and ankles.

Erin simply stood in awe of the angelic boy who stood only as tall as his chest. Lucemon slowly released his hold on the shocked teen's hands, bowing deeply with his hands clasped together in front of him, speaking with a tone that seemed nothing like the scared boy he had met at first. "Thank you, dark champion. You will do well. I look forward to meeting you again." And with that, he turned and walked away, letting the darkness envelop Erin once again.

Shaking himself, the tense boy looked around. He could feel something in the darkness again, similar to finding the young Lucemon. Slowing his breathing, Erin tried to keep himself calm, not wanting to panic again, as he had in earlier dreams. 

The presence got stronger, seeming to be completely surrounding him. It seemed as if it were pulsing, or flexing, as it shifted from point to point, always feeling the strongest right in front of him.

**'You return.... Why? You should leave before the darkness swallows you whole.'**

Feeling the speech of the stronger voice in his mind once again, Erin stiffened his resolve, planting his feet. "If I'm here, then there is a reason. And I will not be scared off, when my help is wanted."

**'Your help? What reason do you have to give your assistance?'**

The question caught the teen by surprise, and he pondered to himself for a moment, before answering. "Because I won't let evil people hurt someone, if I can help it."

**'Even at the risk of your life? Even if it means killing another living thing? Do you think you can do what you must, to defeat those you would oppose?!'**

At the shout at the end, Erin jumped slightly, more then a little surprised. He had never even thought he had it in him to kill someone, so could he if he was forced to? A few minutes passed in silence, the presence moving itself around him, slipping closer, as if examining him. Not really focusing on anything around him, he looked forward, gripping his hands into tight fists. "To protect those I care about, and those who need me, I'll do what I must, even at my own risk, physically and mentally." The words flowed from his mouth, oddly feeling as if they came from someone else, but at the same time perfectly natural and the complete truth.

The stronger ghostly feeling flexed itself again, making the darkness feel as if it would smother him completely, but he simply stood, unmoving, and almost holding his breath as he held his fears in check. Finally, the being relaxed itself, and began giving a soft dark glow in the blackness. He watched, as the mist like creature collected in front of him, slowly forming into a humanoid creature that was a little over twice his height. Aside from the three claws at the end of each of his arms, extending from twin pieces of black armor over his forearms, the towering creature's gaze looked down at the human, it's eyes two pools of an almost tangible purple energy as it stared. 

They both continued staring, until finally the creatures form suddenly turned into mist again, pooling swiftly directly in front of Erin's face, as the dark glow began increasing from the center point. Once all that was left was the single circle of the ghostly light, the shocked human slowly reached his hand up, until his fingers closed around a small disc, that pressed coldly against his hand, immediately plunging him back into darkness.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Erin blinked looking at the ceiling of his room in the orphanage that he had lived in for as long as he could remember. Sitting up, her tossed the sweat covered sheets off him, sliding his nude form to sit on the edge of his bed. He tried remembering his dream, he knew it had returned tonight, but for the first time since it had been plaguing him, it all seemed fuzzy, as if his memory was jumbled. 

Suddenly, a cold shiver ran through his body, starting from his right palm as it pressed against something on the bed. Lifting his hand, he found a black coin, almost invisible in the night's gloom. Picking it up, he examined it closely, just barely making out the imprint of a dragon-man creature, wearing pieces of armor, posed to look as if he were flying. On the reverse side, was a japanese looking symbol, although he had no clue what it meant. Although it was about the same size as a half dollar, the thickness was triple that of a normal coin, yet felt a light as a feather as he turned it over in his hand.

Clenching the coin in his hand tightly, he took a deep breath, as the final part of his dream came back to him, a simple sentence spoken from a unknown female voice right as he woke up.

****

"You will do well."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rocker~wow, I thought I'd never get this story out.

ToyAgumon~*glances up at the white haired author* But you were the one who kept pausing your wri...

Rocker~*quickly holds the little mini-tyrano's mouth shut, chuckling nervously* Heh, don't pay any attention to the muse I'm keeping quiet, folks. Hey Flora, mind taking this annoyance off my hands?

Floramon~*A small plant digimon, the same height as ToyAgumon, walks up, and takes the other child's arm, walking the blushing digimon out of the room*

Rocker~*laughs and smiles* That works. Anyway, I've hopefully kicked my writer's block now. Knock on wood. *knocks on the small table holding his computer, as he writes from the couch he is staying on right now* Reviews are always welcome, since I love knowing what people think. Have a happy day, and come back and visit soon!!

Disclaimer - I don't own digimon, and I'm using the Diaries' Storyline with Lord Archive's permission.

****

~Dedications~

****

Gen-chan, who always gives me the confidence to keep trying, when I always think I'm failing. Thanks for staying by my side, even if it is only verbally from distance. ^_^

****

K-chan, who is a dear friend and a beautiful author as well, was inspiring with her "Magical Girl Mimi" series, as well as serving as a part time editor for me. 

****

Kale, retired digimon fanfic author, also deserves credit, for being one of my first reviews on my first fanfic I wrote, which gave me the confidence to keep trying and learning at writing, as well as providing his excellent eight part digimon series, that was a phenomenal, and inspiring, piece of fanfic work. 

Last credit, is to **Lord Archive**, who's stories have astounded me for quite some time now, and who's Diaries' Storyline I am proud to join with this story. I hope to keep reading his stories for quite some time, as they always provide with a good emotional base, as well constant reading enjoyment.

I wish all you fellow author's good luck with your works, and maybe one day, I can achieve what these people who have inspired me have done, and create something that touches someone else as well.

Author's note ~ Some of Lord Archives stories, while very well written, are not for children under 18. Please heed warning, if you chose to read his works.


	2. Entry 2 Birth of a Champion

Dark Diaries  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"Birth of a Champion"  
  
Author ~ Rocker Starlight  
  
With permission by Lord Archive  
  
************  
  
The summer sun beamed down brightly, shining on the small cities' population as they went about their daily business. With the schools done for the year, the young people of Mt. Morris were spending their time hanging out, relaxing with the lack of studies. The streets bustled as people went about their daily lives, unknowing of the changes the small town had gone through in the recent weeks.  
  
Erin sat quietly, letting his somber attitude isolate him from the cheerfulness around him. Resting against the wall of the town library, he stared blankly into the sky, almost completely unmoving. Small beads of sweat were dripping down the side of his face, since the summer heat had settled in, but even this didn't seem to be effecting the young teen. Laying his hand on the pocket of his gray jean shorts, he felt the small black coin he had been carrying with him for the last couple weeks. He still couldn't bring himself to leave it in his room, using it as a reminder of his best friend, Selene, since her departure only a couple weeks ago.   
  
Sighing softly, Erin pulled the coin out, moving his stare to it now. Thinking of the girl always made him stare at the small black coin, as if it would keep her memory fresh in his mind. At times, he thought the dragon man imprinted on the coin was staring back at him, like he knew something Erin didn't. Closing his fingers around the coin, Erin shut his eyes, sighing again as he remembered his last day of school.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Erin walked out of the school building, carrying his almost empty book bag over his shoulder. He looked around the masses exiting the building, unable to find the one person he wanted to see. Frowning slightly, he started walking a little farther, stopping on the sidewalk to wait patiently.  
  
He waited for an hour, sitting against the school's sign in the lawn, before a car pulled up in the street in front of him. Recognizing the car, Erin slowly stood up, dragging his bag behind him as he slide into the passenger seat. He kept his head down, never looking at the driver, as the car pulled away down the street.  
  
"You were waiting for her, weren't you?" Ms. Klink asked quietly. Although in her early forties, the orphanage worker only had a little gray in her hair, just on her temples. Wearing a blue T-shirt with matching jeans, it was rare that people realized the type of work she did, taking care of children in the Mt Morris Orphanage.  
  
At the nod from Erin, Beverly Klink continued speaking. "I'm sorry Erin. Selene left during the middle of the day. She tried to get them to wait for you, but they didn't seem to care, saying their flight was leaving too early." She gave a sigh, giving the silent boy a sympathetic look, realizing this must be hard for him. She said she would leave you an e-mail once she is there."  
  
Erin gave another soft nod, feeling numb as he listened. Staring at the floor, he ran the words over in his mind. She was gone. He had known she was going, but until this moment, it had never truly hit him. The drive went quietly from that point, the older woman giving him his space. To the young teen, however, it simply felt like he the only person in the world.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Erin stared at the fist holding the small coin, as his memory faded. A couple days after it, Selene had sent an e-mail like she had promised, saying the family had set everything up before she arrived, and she would let him know how her new home felt to her. Although reading the e-mail had comforted him some, the emptiness inside him wouldn't seem to go away.   
  
The first couple days, Erin had tried acting the same as when Selene was around, but this quickly faltered. He just could not keep up the act of being in a good mood without her around. After that, the depression began settling in once again. Although it was a feeling he was used to at times, he had not had to deal with it this much when Selene had been around. She always seemed to know just what to do or say, to the young man. Now, he had to learn to deal with it himself again, and it wasn't proving to be easy.  
  
More often then he wanted to think about, people from the orphanage or with the government would suggest talking to a psychologist. He had tried that, a couple months after his parents had died, and all it had gotten him was another person to dislike. As much as the man had seemed to know what he was talking about, he couldn't seem to understand that no matter how hard Erin tried, he couldn't make himself not feel the pain of losing his parents. But even Erin couldn't explain it. It had just seemed like he could feel the pain his parents had felt when they had died, and would never seem to go away.  
  
Then she had shown up. Another orphan, Selene had been sent to their orphanage like many, at the moment none of her family could be found to take her in. But the minute he had seen her, the pain in his heart lessened, as if her presence had caused it to retreat. Taking it as a good sign, Erin had taken to trying to help the girl whenever he could, understanding what she may be going through, and hoping to help her to be able to cope with it.   
  
Shaking his head, Erin shook off the memories. Now wasn't when he wanted to be thinking about those times. Standing up, he brushed the grass off his jean shorts and stretched a little. He had been sitting in the spot most of the day, and his joints ached slightly from their lack of use. Having forgone a shirt today, since it had felt nice earlier, he gave his shoulder a small scratch.   
  
Erin looked up at the sky, taking a guess at the time from the red in the evening sky. 'About nine, I think.' Watching one of the clouds float for a moment, he admired the multitude of colors in it, squeezing his hand tighter on the black coin. It reminded him of the feelings people had, if you put colors to the emotions. Although of late, he only seemed to think of his own feelings during the night sky.  
  
Frowning slightly, the brown haired teen started walking, heading for the neighborhood park, since it was only down the block from him. "If Ms. K needs me, she can come find me…"   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The park was still slightly active, a couple families enjoying the summer's evening. About a half a dozen children were playing in the playground that had been built for them, laughing happily as they darted in and out of the wooden structures.   
  
Erin walked to the small pavilion, taking a seat away from the people there, and quietly watched the scampering children. He tried unsuccessfully to not think about Selene and himself running around similarly, during their childhood. Sighing softly again, he let his mind relax, trying not to let the darker emotions he was feeling overrun him again.  
  
The joyful feeling in the park was not to last, however. A shimmering silver line appeared on the opposite side of the playground, catching most of the people in the park's attention. Erin watched, a bit interested, before his eyes widened in shock. A large black claw emerged from the line, as it slowly began widening into a circle. As it opened, the claw showed the large tyrannosaurus rex it was attached to, giving a slight glimpse at the jungle like background behind it, before letting a fierce roar escape it's maw.   
  
Erin stood up, as most of the people began scrambling in fright. Although he felt a couple of them bolt past him, he couldn't seem to move his own feet. He stared as one of the claws swept down, crushing a small jungle gym.  
  
About to run himself, Erin felt something in his hand, giving a hot sensation into his palm. Opening his hand, he stared at the black coin, which was giving an almost purplish glow around it. Simply staring at it, he felt something touching his mind, as if wordlessly explaining something he could do. As the sensation faded, he nodded to himself, giving a defiant glare at the rampaging dinosaur.   
  
"Coin Fusion!" Gripping the coin again in his hand, feeling it merge with his body. Standing a little stiffly for a moment at the sudden rush of energy into his body, he held his arms out to his sides.  
  
"Digital Assimilation!" A dark light formed over his body, engulfing him as he felt the energy coursing through his body begin to take form. His feet and shins were covered in a pair of metal boots, the part over his legs only covering the front, with a pair of yellow cords wrapping around. His chest and hips were next, being completely encased in the same metallic armor, while he felt a shield form on his back, spitting down the middle and spreading out behind him like a pair of wings. As a pair of shoulder pieces digitize and form, he crossed his arms in front of him, watching as a pair metal bracers form over each forearm and hand, leaving the underside exposed, as well as having three claws extending from the end of each. Finally, a helmet formed over his head, covering his face save underneath his nose. The helm extended from his face slightly, revealing a pointed horn at the nose of it, just as he could feel the two bull-like horns forming on each side of his head. Although it wasn't armor, he could feel a black material covering his legs, and his neck, extending up to coat his chin slightly and the sides of his face. Although he didn't know what it was, he knew it was formed of the same energy that had formed the armor. Finally, as he swung his arms out to his sides, he felt the dark light disperse, revealing himself to the Black T-Rex mere moment later.  
  
Taking a few steps forward, Erin barely had time to react as the monster yelled, "Fire Blast!" A jet of flames came from it's mouth, aiming right for the armored teen.  
  
Acting on instinct, Erin reached behind him, grabbing the two sides of the shield and bringing them in front of him, holding them together in front of him. The flames split in two, torching the pavilion behind him as he waited until the fire ended.   
  
Replacing the shield onto his back, Erin pointed one of his claw bracers at the large T-Rex, who tilted it's head slightly. Before it could attack again, Erin jumped forward, using his new speed to launch himself at his opponent. Connecting with it's mid-body, he pushed it back and over the fence of the nearby baseball field, tripping the monster up.  
  
Jumping off as one of the monster's claws swatted at him, Erin barely realized he was floating in the air, as another realization came to him. The portal was gone! While he had been transforming, the portal had closed behind the large T-Rex, stranding it here. Dodging a couple more swipes, while staying in the air, Erin frowned slightly, unsure what to do next.   
  
Caught up in the worrisome thought, the dark creature caught Erin by surprise, striking with it's claw and throwing him into part of the wooden structure of the playground. Erin pushed a piece of the timber off of him, growling slightly before a small whimper caught his attention. Glancing to his side, he saw a couple of young children hiding in wooden structure he had just crashed into, holding onto one another and crying in fear.   
  
Staring at the children a moment more, he waved one of his covered hands at them, revealing the underside to try and make it a little less frightening. "It'll be ok, kids. When I leave, run for it, alright?" Not waiting for a response, Erin pushed himself back to his feet, staring at the large black Dinosaur that was moving to engage him again. Floating into the air, he felt his body moving on instinct again, his anger rising at the thought of the young children in danger.  
  
"Enough!" The T-Rex pause for a moment, as Erin yelled in anger, extended his arms in front of him. A small ball of energy began forming between his palms, his muscles straining as he pushed the power inside him into the little ball. Swinging his arms over his head, he pulled his hands further apart, as the small ball suddenly grew in size, almost the same size as the monster it was being aimed at.   
  
"This ends now! Terra Destroyer!" Swinging his arms forward, he launched the ball of destructive power at the dinosaur, engulfing it completely. It screamed in pain, before the ball of energy and the monster it had struck were both gone, small black bits dispersing into nothing.   
  
Erin stared at the place where his opponent had been standing, a small crater formed by his own attack the only thing in it's place. Lowering himself back to the ground, he walked over to the children, kneeling before them. "It's alright now. The monster is gone." For the first time since the battle had begun, he could hear something different about his voice. It was as if a deeper and stronger voice was overlapping his own perfectly.  
  
The two children stared at him, looks of fear and shock running over their faces. One of them -- A young boy, Erin thought--, stood up, helping his friend to their feet too. He looked up at the teen and nodded his head to him. "Thank you, sir." His voice was very shaky, revealing how uneasy he was. His friend simply stared at Erin, unable to even work any words out.  
  
Giving a soft smile, Erin nodded to the pair. Standing up, he glanced over, seeing a small group of adults running towards the trio. As two women grabbed the pair of children up in tight hugs, Erin was suddenly faced with three very angry adults, two of them male and one woman. Although standing a little taller then Erin, all three acting uneasy at the appearance of the young man, before the more muscular man puffed his chest up slightly and poked Erin in the chest plate of his armor.  
  
"Get out of here, you little demon! We don't want things like you in our town!" Although half hiding behind the braver of the trio, the other two adults nodded their heads fiercely, glaring at Erin as if he had some sort of disease they didn't want to catch.  
  
Mentally sighing, Erin simply turned away, taking a few steps, then floating slowly into the air. Hearing a yell behind him from a new voice, he turned his head, seeing the woman holding the young boy watching him. After a moment she gave a soft smile, nodding much the same way the boy had. Giving a sad smile and nod back to her, he let himself fly away, not wishing to cause any more of a problem.  
  
**************  
  
AN~Wow, I finally got the second chapter done. ^_^ Haven't written a fight scene in ages, I hope I did all right. Anyway, Erin's problems are only beginning. When another digimon is spotted in his hometown, Erin finds out brute force won't always win. With a battle of speed on, will Erin be able to keep up? Find out next time, on Dark Diaries!! 


	3. Entry 3 Need for Speed

Surrounded. He could feel menace around, coming from different directions. Although he couldn't see anything, somehow he knew he was in a battle, fighting whoever was attacking him. But instead of fear or anger, his spirit felt an odd calm, touched with an almost thrill of exhilaration.  
  
He felt his body moving, as the points of menace and darkness each seemed to just disappear, one at a time. It almost seemed too easy, as if they had never stood a chance. But he could not understand why something would fight someone they stood no chance of defeating.  
  
When only a couple of the negative points remained to his senses, he felt something else assault him, from inside himself this time. An almost tangible feeling of pain ran through him, as anguish and rage shifted around, surrounding a loneliness that was similar to something he had felt before.  
  
As the sensations washed over him, he felt something tugging at his mind, something small, but undeniable. Compassion, life, and hope pooled into a small pool at the edge of his mind, as if something was trying to show these emotions to him, to prove something aside the darkness could exist. His mind felt numb as the darkness around him suddenly smashed the lighter emotions.  
  
***********  
  
Erin gasped, blinking a few times to remember where he was. Looking around his dark room, he sighed in relief, closing his eyes in thought. The dream had seemed so real, almost like he had lived it himself. But that was impossible. His gaze turned to the small coin lying on the table next to the bed. Wasn't it?  
  
***********  
  
Dark Diaries  
  
Chapter 3  
  
"Need for Speed"  
  
Author ~ Rocker Starlight  
  
Permission from Lord Archive  
  
Disclaimer ~ I don't own digimon or the Diaries storyline. I merely own my own characters I'm using, that's it. If you want to use any ideas created from my stories, please at least tell me, since I doubt I'll have any problems with it. ^_^  
  
***********  
  
Meals in the orphanage could always be a pain. With about six total children to feed, the three older children often were roped into helping cook and clean. The woman in charge, Ms. Klink, often woke the teens for the chores at the same they used to get up for school, to make sure everyone had time to eat and get ready for the day.  
  
Erin hummed to himself softly, as he pored the bowls of cereal, having finished setting the table. Walking back into the kitchen, he slides past another of his peers, getting the orange juice from the refrigerator. Setting and filling a glass of orange juice at each seat, Erin sat down with a soft plop into his seat.   
  
The younger children were running into dining room already, taking their assigned seats as they chattered on. Erin had learned to tune out of voices of other people, so he could ignore others when he wasn't in the mood to listen, so he was able to sit with a neutral expression on his face, trying not to feel any different then before a couple days ago.  
  
As if on cue to the memory of the incident, a warm sensation began radiating from his left pocket, where the dark coin rested. After he had left the park, he had flown home, shifting back to being human, but the coin was still a part of him. When he had awoken the next morning, however, the coin was in his hand once again, as if nothing had happened. The news cast the next day had proven not only had it happened, but also that people thought he was as much a monster as the dinosaur that had rampaged into the park.  
  
'Aren't I? I changed… I became the creature on the coin… Does that mean I'm still human….?' Erin's train of thought was interrupted, as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Jill standing behind him, with a large pate of bacon and eggs sitting on it. She smiled sweetly at him, her blond hair hanging freely around her shoulders as she offered the plate for him to take his portion.  
  
Erin blushed a little, only partially from not realizing the food was done, as he used his fork to pull a portion of the food onto his plate. He watched as the young girl walked around, giving a little of the food to rest of the household, before sitting with the remainder. Hanging her apron on the back of her chair, so she only had a pink shirt with the words "Princess" on the front, and a pair of blue jeans on. She made a small hand gesture to Ms. Klink, smiling sweetly, as she signed for her to pass her the salt.  
  
Erin almost gave a soft smile, watching the mute girl take a bite, before digging into his food. His stomach felt like a bottomless pit, like he hadn't eaten in days, and he couldn't understand why. He hoped this wasn't something wrong with him, because of the transformation. While ignored the warm feeling again in his pocket, he blinked as he felt himself being watched suddenly. Glancing up with a gulp of the food in his mouth, he noticed everyone staring at him, looking like he had grown horns or something.   
  
Squirming a little under the sudden attention, he looked at the various eyes on him. "What? Did I do something stupid?"  
  
Brian, the oldest teen in the home, who was your typical brown haired, blue eyed jock, laughed softly. "Well besides eating more then me, and faster? You wake up with a demon in your stomach or something?"  
  
As everyone around the table laughed at the joke, Erin's cheek flushed more, actually looking at his food. He had taken more then twice he normally had, but he also was almost finished eating after only a couple minutes. Normally, he had been picking a small amount of food, before eating a small bit and excusing himself. As the laughter died, he resumed eating, although barely noticing it, as he forced himself to eat at a normal pace for the remainder of the meal.  
  
"But it was there!" Erin turned his head, as he heard Darien, a ten year old with black hair and green eyes, trying to convince Ms. Klink of something. "I went by the school, and I saw a big black bird land on top of it!"  
  
"Yea, and Superman is replacement quarterback. Stop watching so many cartoons kid." Brian laughed, finishing his food and pushing his chair back.  
  
"But it's true!" Darien yelled at the football player as he left. Pouting, he looked back to Ms. Klink, tugging on her sleeve. "Ya gotta believe me! It's really there!"  
  
The caretaker of the children looked at her ward, ruffling the raven black hair on his head. "Of course I do. But I'm sure this bird just wants to be left alone. So don't go bothering it, alright?" She smiled in a motherly fashion down at the child, before resuming eating, considering the matter ended.  
  
Darien didn't seem to like his answer, as he continued pouting through the entire meal, before putting his plate away and stomping off to his room. The rest of breakfast went rather quiet. The twins, Angela and Mary, both asked Ms. Klink if they could go to the park to watch some of the cleanup. Agreeing, as long as Jill and herself were present, the red headed twins cheered for joy, before quickly finishing their food, and taking off for their room to get ready.  
  
Ms. Klink turned to Erin, as he took his final bite. "Will you look after Darien, Erin? I want to try and help at the park some, and since Jill will have her hands full watching the twins, I don't want Darien to come along as well."   
  
Nodding, Erin took his plate, and started collecting the rest around the table. As he watched the two woman leave, his mind began racing as he mechanically cleaned the table off. A big black bird suddenly appearing yesterday, and staying on the school's roof. Erin couldn't seem to pass it off like his caretaker had, as he washed the dishes. Could it have been a monster, like that black T-Rex the other day? Or maybe just a big raven that had made its nest on the roof, like most birds.  
  
Finishing the dishes, Erin nodded to himself, as he walked out of the kitchen. Even if it was just a normal bird, he couldn't live with himself if he didn't check. And that meant talking with Darien.  
  
***********  
  
Evening settled on the small town of Mt. Morris, as the red sunset shown brightly for it's remaining moments. Most people were eating dinner in their homes, enjoying the peaceful night since the incident at the park the other day. While the news had reported what had happened, it had caution people that either of the creatures may still be loose, since neither had been seen since. This resulted in deserted streets during the last couple nights, as people who hadn't seen wondered about what had truly happened.   
  
The dead streets made it easier on the two boys as they walked towards the middle school of the small town. Erin walked about a half a foot behind Darien, who was almost skipping. Having spoken for a couple minutes, for Erin to find out what Darien had seen completely, he had reluctantly agreed to let the younger boy show him where he had seen it himself. It had made the boy's day, to find out someone believed him, although he couldn't seem to understand why the older boy had made him promise not to tell anyone where they were going.  
  
Erin sighed, half listening to the boy go on about how he was going to prove to everyone he wasn't lying. He knew the boy had had trouble with lying before, getting Ms. Klink called to the school more then once for his tall tales. He wasn't sure why he suddenly thought the boy was telling the truth, but after the park incident, he couldn't simply dismiss it.  
  
As they walked across the lawn of the school, Erin began watching the skies through the trees. He hoped he was wrong, and it was simply a innocent bird needing a place to make a nest. As he slide his hand into his pocket, feeling the coin once again radiating the warm sensation, he began to worry that much more.   
  
His fears were released, as a loud screech echoed through the air, followed by a large black bird flying from the top of the school and into the sky. The avian had to easily be the size of a very small plane, flapping it's wings as it circled around the block the school was on.  
  
Erin grabbed Darien, holding his hand over the ten-year-old's mouth, as he heard the muffled attempts to cheer in triumph. Hiding the boy and himself in the shadow of one of the trees, the teen waited until the bird was away for a moment, before he began talking in a softer voice then normal. "Darien, go back home." He heard a muffled protest, as the young boy struggled in Erin's grip, before he held tighter and whispered harshly over the protests. "Darien, I'm serious! That thing is dangerous! You need to go home, and tell Ms. Klink to get a hold of the police or something. I'm gonna stay, to make sure it stays here. Please, do this for me?"  
  
Darien relaxed a little, as he listened, before nodding. As Erin took his hand away, the youth looked into the teen's eyes, smiling softly. "Only because you believed me. I'll hurry, so you don't have all the fun." Before Erin could react, he young boy bolted, taking off at a fast sprint for the orphanage.  
  
Erin frowned to himself, as he stood up, gripping the coin in his hand tightly again. Although Darien was fast, he knew the orphanage was on the other side of the main street, a good ten minutes distance running. Looking at the coin, he watched the soft purple glow, giving an unearthly light to the darkening lawn.  
  
"Coin Fusion." Talking quietly, he felt the coin merge with his body again, giving a soft sigh as he felt the energy beginning to course through him again. Glancing up at the sky again, and then around the area, he cross his arms in an X over his chest, sure no one was around.   
  
"Digital Assimilation!" A surge of power ran through him as the dark light covered his body, before dissipating into the form of the armored version of himself he had turned into before. Taking a moment, he ran his fingers along the metal of the held on his head, a little surprised at the odd feeling it gave. He could feel his hand touching the metal, although as he had learned in the last fight, it was more of a sense of something touching, rather then actually feeling it. His mind simply knew it a part of the armor was being touched.   
  
Shaking off the curious thoughts, he turned his gaze to the sky again. The curiosity was only making him more certain he was no longer human, and that was not what he needed to be worrying about now. Flying into the air, he began his search for the bird once he cleared the treetops.  
  
The roof showed signs of the bird having been there, with parts of it damaged from the creature's obvious strength. Landing on the concrete of the roof, Erin examined one of the ventilation tubes, seeing a thin, but deep dent into it. As he wondered if the monster's wing could have done it, that familiar screech echoed behind, showing he wouldn't need to search anymore.  
  
Turning, he got a better look at his opponent, who was hovering next to the building. His guess at the size had been a little off, although not by much. He thought it may be the size of a large glider, with it's wings flapping at it's sides to keep it afloat. The head reminded him of a raven from a cartoon he had seen, with it's beak long, but thinner then normal. It seemed to be eyeing him in return, as he stood his ground, waiting it out.  
  
"Why are you here?" Erin's eyes widened in shock, as he heard the creature speak. "This is my new home, and intruders aren't welcome!"  
  
Erin took a moment, before he let his arms lower slightly. "New home?" the duel voices spoke, still a bit surprised. "This is a school. Who are you?"  
  
The bird eyed him a moment, before perching itself on the ledge of the roof. "I am Sabirdamon. And I care not what these humans think this place is. This place is mine now, and I will not let anyone else take it from me!" Giving a defiant flap of his wings Erin, Sabirdamon stared at him closely.   
  
'Sabirdamon? Weird name….' Erin thought, as he braced his feet to avoid being pushed back by the wind made by the wings. "Why are you here then? Everyone will think you're a monster if you stay, and they won't leave you in peace."  
  
The large bird laughed, the tone giving an uneasy shiver up Erin's spine. "Peace? I said, I don't care what these stupid humans think! I can destroy them at my leisure, and should they try to disobey me, I'll do so. This is where I shall rule!"  
  
Erin listened to the grand standing, as he frowned slightly. "I can't let you do that." Although it was intelligent, it also seemed to have quite the ego trip. "This city is my home, and I won't let you hurt the people here." Pointing one of his claws at the bird, he stared back. "Leave now. I don't want to hurt you."  
  
Sabirdamon laughed again, although darker then before. "You? You smell of human and digimon both. Perhaps you're the bastard child of a digidestined and their partner? No matter, I'll destroy you, regardless!" Taking to the air, the midnight bird began circling the building, like a vulture.  
  
Erin leapt, floating in the air as he watching the circling monster. "I don't know what the hell your talking about, but it ends here!" Moving quickly, he put himself in the bird's path, before lunging forward with his claws.   
  
"Mach Shadow!" Erin blinked, watching at the bird suddenly blurred towards him, feeling one of it's wings cutting his arm between the armor pieces as he narrowly dodged. Turning his head, he saw Sabirdamon floating above him, almost sneering. "Is that the best you can do? If normal Digidestined are as easy as you, I'll rule in no time! Black Saber!"   
  
Erin pushed himself backward in the air, crashing into the side of the school, as he felt the blast of black energy firing from Sabirdamon's mouth towards him. As he looked back to the bird, he cursed softly, finding his opponent gone.   
  
Floating upwards, Erin kept looking around himself, very aware the monster had not left. His mind was racing again, as it played over what Sabirdamon had told him, before the battle had begun. 'Digimon? What's a digimon, or a digidestined for that matter? But he said I smelled like a human and…' Erin narrowly dodged as his thought was interrupted from another blast of energy from above.  
  
Looking towards the source, Erin barely saw the large bird before he heard it yell, "Mach Shadow!", again, dodging with nick on the side of his chest armor this time. Trying to follow Sabirdamon's movements with his eyes, he watched the black blur turn and come back, catching his shoulder piece and sending him spinning.  
  
Erin growled as he steadied himself, finding his opponent gone again. 'He's too fast! I can barely dodge, let alone hit him.' Erin blinked, as a sudden realization caused him to grin slightly. 'Then I won't dodge….'   
  
Erin floated in the night air, keeping his arms wide at his sides as he waited for his opponent to attack. The noise of the rush of air was his only warning, as he saw the blurred monster flying at him, dead on target. Shifting his body slightly, Erin took the hit dead on, groaning a little as his chest felt the impact. Before Sabirdamon could pull back, two clawed arms grabbed underneath it's wings, as Erin held the bird's head under his arm, using his strength to hold him there.  
  
"Release me! You'll regret defying my master!" The bird struggled, unable to break the assimilated fighter's grip.  
  
Erin grinned again. "Regret it? Actually, I'm enjoying it." Pulling Sabirdamon with him, Erin fell backwards into a free fall, crashing himself into the concrete of the playground behind the school, with the bird's head striking first.   
  
Releasing the stunned creature, Erin floated quickly flew a foot above, watching it struggle to clear it's head of the pain. "You're days where numbered the minute you threatened my home. You should have left when I offered it." Floating back another couple feet, Erin held his hands in front of him, collecting a ball of energy between them, before bringing his arms above his head, while enlarging the ball immensely. "Terra Destroyer!" He threw the large ball of energy, watching it crash into the stunned bird and exploding.   
  
Erin waited, watching as the smoke and black flecks dissipated to reveal a small crater, formed from the killing attack. Looking around to make sure no one else was around, Erin heading back for home, using the clouds in the sky for cover.  
  
**********  
  
Erin stood outside the orphanage, touching the cut under her shirtsleeve, as he watched the building nervously. He wasn't sure what Ms. Klink would say, when he walked in, after what he told Darien to say. Taking a deep breath, her gripped his coin in his hand, having figured out how to defuse himself from it, and slowly walked in the door.  
  
The sight he saw when he entered was not what he expected. All the children were still up, as Darien went on, telling about the battle Erin had just fought in. As Erin walked into the living room doorway, everyone's eyes went to him, with a variety of expressions. Ms. Klink was frowning slightly, while the twins were giggling and huddled together on the couch. Jill had a worried expression, and Brian, who was sitting on the floor, simply smirked at him.   
  
"What?" Erin asked, hoping the second transformation hadn't left some sort of sign of what was happening to him.  
  
Brian stood up, and walked up to Erin, patting him on his shoulder. "Oh nothing, Darien was just telling us what a wimp you are." Pushing Erin out of the way, the jock walked past him, heading upstairs.  
  
Erin blinked, before looking back to the rest of the group, then focusing on Darien. The little boy squirmed a little, before he began speaking. "Well… I started to come home… but I thought you might be in trouble by yourself, and came back. When I got there though, you were gone, and I watched the big bird fight with this cool looking dragon guy in armor! Did you see it Erin? Did ya?! Tell them it's true, come on!"  
  
Erin grinned sheepishly, as he took the boy's shoulder in his hand. "Ms. K, I'm gonna put Darien to bed, alright?" As the sharp nod, the teen rushed his younger friend out of the room and upstairs, not wanting to deal with his caretaker just yet. As they walked into Darien's room, Erin listened at the door, to make sure no one had followed them up.  
  
"Erin, why didn't you tell them?! If you say you saw it, they'd believe you!" Darien whined at the elder as he flopped onto his bed, pouting once again with his arms across his chest.  
  
Laughing softly, Erin looked at the pouting boy, shaking his head. "Darien, they would probably say I'm just making it up too, right now." Walking over as the young boy shook his head in disagreement, Erin took a seat next to him. "Hey, we know what you saw, right? Honestly… I didn't see the bird fighting anything. I went to try and find help, and when I came back, it was gone." Erin hated lying, even if it was only a half-truth, as long as he worded it right. But he knew he couldn't tell the boy the truth.  
  
Darien looked at him in shock, before lowering his head. "But they all think I'm making it up…"  
  
Erin patted his shoulder softly. "That's only because they feel you've lied to them before. Look, just don't worry about the bird, and just be yourself for awhile, instead of finding things to impress people with, ya know? Maybe they'll start believing you again."   
  
Darien gave a small nod, before he looked up at the older teen. "But the bird was there, right? I didn't make that up."  
  
Erin smiled softly and nodded. "Yea. It was there. I'll bring it up with Ms. K, but you leave it alone, alright?" As the boy nodded, Erin stood up again, walking for the door. "Now get ready for bed. It's way past your bedtime, and I need to talk to Ms. K now." Shutting the door behind him, he could hear the boy getting dressed into his pajamas, talking to himself about what happened.  
  
Erin watched the door for a minute, before he began slowly walking for the staircase again. His mind was raising faster then ever now. "What is a digimon then? Was Sabirdamon one? And who was his master? Damn it, I wish Selene were here…" Erin sighed, as he walked down the stairs, pushing the curious questions in his mind aside, as he readied himself for the yelling he was about to receive.  
  
************  
  
A/N ~ chapter 3, done in record time! ^_^ Wow, I'm all proud of myself. I hope the fight scene turned out alright, I thought this one looked better then last chapter. But with the burning questions racing through his head, is Erin ready to face another digimon so soon? and how will he react when he meets his first digidestined? Find out, in the next exciting chapter of Dark Dairies! 


	4. Entry 4 Two's company, Three's a Team!

Dark Diaries 4  
  
"Two's company, three's a team!"  
  
Author ~ Rocker Starlight  
  
Permission from Lord Archive  
  
A/N ~ This chapter will have active speech from a character who is mute. When someone is speaking in sign language, it will often be within [ ] to help show the difference in the speech. I hope this simplifies your viewing pleasure. ^_^  
  
**********  
  
Sleep is often a time when a person can relax, letting the worries of the day fade from their body, and find rest in their slumber. During this time, the body attempts to re-energize itself, so that it can continue at its peak during the following day. While the body rests, the mind is still active, allowing us to dream of things, often forgetting them by the time we wake, and meaning nothing more then an imagination that is merely in need of exercise.  
  
However, for Erin, sleep was a time of which he got little rest. After having a stern talking to from Ms. Klink, the caretaker of the orphanage, the teenager's body had finally collapsed from exhaustion. Soon after his eyelids shut, Erin's dreams almost felt as if they were no longer his own, sitting in darkness, as he felt pain and anger striking at him. But in the end, it always left him exhausted, feeling as if he had run a small marathon.   
  
Only a day after the battle with Sabirdamon, and Erin was awake earlier then he usually was by about three hours, sitting on the living room couch. The only thing he wore, was a simple pair of shorts, as he lounged, staring at the ceiling. No matter how hard he tried, the nightmares seemed to be plaguing him worse. It had started when the Sabirdamon had spoken with him.  
  
'You smell of human and digimon both. Perhaps you're the bastard child of a digidestined and their partner?' The creature's words still rang in his mind, revealing something he had no clue how to interpret. What was a digimon? And from the way he said it, a digidestined was a human, but then who were they for that matter? No matter how many ways he thought about it, it left him in the same dead end.   
  
He assumed the Sabirdamon was a digimon itself, he thought, although it still left that question of what a digimon was wide open. What if digimon were all evil creatures like Sabirdamon? If that black T-Rex was one as well, it only pushed that theory to be true. But if he truly was part digimon, when he turned into his assimilated form, then did that mean he would be evil. Or maybe he already was?  
  
A noise from the staircase caught Erin's attention, breaking him from the depressing line of thoughts. He glanced over to see Jill, standing in an oversized blue T-shirt, with a pair of shorts just barely noticeable from beneath them. She walked over, standing behind the couch, and stood looking down at Erin. She watched him, their heads upside-down to one another, before she moved her hands slowly. [Why are you awake?]  
  
Erin watched the hands ask her silent question, before giving a small shrug. "Nightmare. Couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to relax down here. You?"  
  
The twelve year old girl walked around the couch, sitting down next to Erin, with her hands fidgeting a little in her lap, before looking to him and signing. [Same. May I stay here with you?] She smiled sweetly, as she listened for her answer.  
  
Erin smiled softly and nodded. "Sure. Maybe with company, we can fall asleep again." He watched her smile, looking like she was laughing, although no noise ever came from her. Before he could move to give her a little more room, she lifted his arm up, snuggling up against him.   
  
Erin blushed a deep crimson, starting to move away a little, before Jill placed a hand on his chest, stopping him before she signed again. [No worry. I promised sister I would watch you. You're comfortable.] Erin relaxed a little, as he read her hands. Jill had always seemed to take to Selene and himself as her older siblings, so her words made him a little more at ease this his hormones had aloud him a moment before.   
  
Laying his arm on the young girl protectively, Erin and Jill both closed their eyes, soon falling asleep with the comfort of having a true friend near by.  
  
***********  
  
Erin yawned, as he heard a soft snickering, making him slowly wake from the nice dream he had been having. He opened his eyes, only to be greeted by Brian's sneering face. Grimacing at the unpleasant sight, Erin felt a movement against his side, very closely. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, his saw a young female body snuggled tightly up against him, with a head of blond hair covering her face. Looking back up at Brian, who seemed to be gaining more of a smirk, Erin frowned slightly. This was already showing to be a bad day.  
  
Before Erin could move, Ms. Klink walked in, walking in her gray bathrobe, with her hair pulled into a disheveled ponytail. "Alright Brian, why am I being woken up an hour before breakfast?"  
  
Brian turned away from the pair on the couch, motioning the orphanage caretaker over to him. "I found a pair of lovebirds. Guess since Selene left him, little Erin got frisky with someone else."   
  
Beverly walked past the young football player, showing a shocked expression as she saw the close hold Jill had on Erin. Turning to Brian, she waved her hand in a silent dismissal, simply staring at the pair.  
  
Erin gulped quietly, as he noticed Brian snicker while he left. Thinking of a few choice words for the older teen, Erin simply watched the woman standing over him, who was staring at him rather sternly again. "T… This isn't what Brian made it out to be, Ms. K…"  
  
Ms. Klink watched the young boy, who was starting to sweat under her gaze, before giving a sigh of exhaustion. She settled into one of the chairs next to the couch, and laid her hands in her lap, not showing the slightest emotion. "Then what is it, Erin? Why don't you explain it to me?"  
  
Erin took a deep breath, before he began talking. "Well, I had a nightmare last night, and since I couldn't fall asleep, and I still had a couple hours before breakfast, I decided to come down here and relax. Well, Jill came down, saying the same thing, and asked if she could sit with me. Nothing happened Ms. K, I just didn't wanna leave her alone, ya know?"  
  
Beverly watched the young teen stammer through his story, occasionally going red cheeked when the young girl on his side shifted against him in her sleep. After giving him a few moments of worrying, she nodded to him. "It's alright, Erin. I believe you. I know you wouldn't do something to hurt one of the other children. However, this is not something I can just let go. Jill is a very impressionable young woman right now. Letting her do something like this may give her the wrong thoughts. Do you understand?"  
  
Erin nodded, gazing down at the still sleeping girl on his side, worrying a little on what his caretaker had just said.  
  
Giving the motherly smile she often gave, Beverly shook her head to Erin. "No, I wouldn't worry. I doubt she has the wrong impression yet. However, I will have a talk with her today about the birds and the bees. I think it is about time that she understood why she can not keep acting this way with you. After all, she isn't Selene."  
  
Erin winced slightly at the final words, although there wasn't any true malice in them. The brown haired boy hoped he would have an e-mail from her, the next time he checked it. Erin began softly nudging Jill's shoulder, shifting his body so that the signs of his morning attention would not accidentally poke her.  
  
Slowly, the young blond awakened, yawning softly as she oriented herself with where she was waking up. Looking up through the hair in her face, she smiled softly to Erin, before standing up, and stiffening as she saw Ms. Klink sitting in the chair nearby. Feeling her cheeks turning a very deep crimson, Jill's hands fumbled as she tried to explain herself, having a horrible time trying to make her finger work properly.  
  
Before she went on for too long, Beverly stood up, walking over to the young girl and placing her hands on her shoulders. "Erin explained, Jill. It's all right. We do, however, need to have a small talk today. Can you go get ready to make breakfast please? I'm sure the children will be awake and hungry soon."  
  
The mute girl nodded, quickly hurrying out of the embarrassing situation. Beverly turned to Erin again, nodding to him as well. "You too, food doesn't make itself, nor does the table get ready on it's own. And Erin? Please wear something a little more concealing when you're going to be sleeping out of your room." The older woman gave a mischievous smirk, as she watched her ward cover himself, as she walked out of the room.  
  
***********  
  
This day was most definitely not shaping into one of Erin's best. After being teased by Brian during breakfast, even further embarrassing Jill more so, the teen then had to deal with the news cast giving a small report about the previous nights battle. Although Darien was glad to have some proof that he had not been lying, Erin was simply dealing with more attention, as well as further teasing from the jock.  
  
Walking down the supper market aisle, Erin glanced over the young blond girl in her blue, simple dress. Jill had been quieter then normal, and unfortunately, the older teen knew why. About an hour before Ms. Klink had sent the two of them to the market for groceries, she had called in Jill to talk about the more adult matters Jill hadn't had explained to her yet. Ever since then, the girl hadn't signed a single worried, only responding with simple nods and shakes of her head.  
  
Erin sighed softly, as he adjusted the flannel he had tied around his waist, before grabbing a box of cereal the twins had requested. Tossing it into the cart he was pushing, he glanced over at Jill again, wishing she would open up more. He just couldn't stand the silence from her, the lack of emotions she had been showing since she had finished her discussion.  
  
As he glanced at the list, Erin mentally went over what was left to be acquired. With the cart almost full, then teen was wondering if they had enough room to get everything else. As he added a couple items Jill had just added, he grumbled softly to himself, before pushing up towards the line. Followed by the silent girl, he quickly paid for the groceries, taking the heavier pair, and began leading the way home.  
  
After they crossed over the train tracks that went through the small town, Erin glanced over, mulling over his words a moment, before finding his voice. "Are you…. I mean… Is everything ok, Jill?" He mentally smacked himself for the stupid question.  
  
Jill shook her head quietly, and shifted the two plastic bags to hang from her wrists, giving her a little leeway to speak with. [Miss Klink said this morning was… improper?] She paused before signing the final word, showing the first emotion since the talk as she watched Erin, her face a mixture of embarrassment and nervousness.  
  
Erin blushed a little at the memory, before taking a moment to word his response correctly. "Well… Most people think it is improper to be that… intimate when two people are not a couple…" The teen's cheeks darkened a bit, stammering nervously over sentence.  
  
Jill listened a moment, before she stopped, causing Erin to do the same as he watched her. Setting her bags on the ground slowly, the mute girl began moving her hands, keeping her face slightly downcast. [Then, I was bad for sleeping with you?]  
  
Erin blinked at the way the statement was worded, before setting his own bags down, and laying his hands on the blond's shoulders. "Not for what we did. Ms. K is just worried you'll get the wrong impression, and I guess I am a little too. We don't want you getting the wrong idea, plus I think she might be worried you might start acting like that towards guys, when you start dating."  
  
Jill looked up, her dark blue eyes staring into Erin's brown ones a moment, before her hands raised high enough for him to see. [But I know you aren't leading me on. I promised sister I would watch you, I would never try and steal you from her.] The sentence brought a deep blush to Erin's already red cheeks before she continued, [And I would never act that way with anyone else. I trust you, big brother.]  
  
Watching the young girl's face, Erin smiled softly as he read her hands. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. Still, I think Ms. K's worried something might happen. You know, the whole 'teenage hormonal overload' that adults are always talking about." Laughing softly, Erin watched Jill's hands cover her mouth, as she silently laughed herself.  
  
The mute girl smiled, as she stood on her tiptoes, kissing the blushing boy on his cheek. [Thank you, big brother.] Grabbing her bags again, she started walking, smiling sweetly again, as the older teen was left to try and catch up quickly to the skipping girl.  
  
************  
  
As the pair walked through the front door of the orphanage, they were instantly confronted with the twins, both speaking so fast, they seemed to be completing each other's sentences.  
  
'Erin! Jill! You won't believe what's going on!" Angela began, as she reached the two teens first. " On TV, it's a…"  
  
"Monster!" Mary quickly continued the sentence. "Another one showed up about an hour south of Flint! The news says…."  
  
"It's been on a total rampage! They say it looks like a blue dragon guy, with big claws and green baggy pants!"  
  
"He's got armor on his shoulders and tail too. And a helmet with a fin on the top! He also had…"  
  
"A red tattoo on his chest, that the news lady couldn't read. Do you think the other dragon man will stop him Erin?" Angela finished, as she looked up at the two teens. Mary simply nodded her agreement with her twin, staying quiet now.   
  
Erin stood in complete surprise, as he halfway made heads and tails of the broken sentences. He nodded slightly, as he walked into the kitchen, followed by the three girls. Setting the bags down, her looked to the anxious twins, his expression neutral. "Show me the news cast, girls."  
  
Followed by Jill, who had left her groceries as well, Erin followed the twin red heads into the living room, where Darien and Ms. Klink were watching the news quietly. As the girls took seats on the couch with the pair, Erin stood to the side slightly, watching the surprising footage. The cameraman was a very good distance away, using his zoom to watch the rampaging monster, as it walked through the streets of a town outside of Detroit. The girl's description of the creature had been fairly accurate, only missing the red hair from the back of its helmet.   
  
Watching as the strange creature picked up a car and lobbed it across the street, Erin began paying attention to the newscaster himself, who was speaking in a worried tone. "Ladies and gentleman, the creature is still continuing its rampage, throwing cars left and right. It has yet to act like more then an un-intelligent monster and the police have had no success in finding a way to capture the beast. This incident is being linked to the two monster sightings in Mt. Morris, with the line of thought concluding a possible connection between the incidents."  
  
Erin began ignoring the newscaster as he listened to him babble about the prior battles he had fought in himself. 'Another digimon? Whether it is or not, I need to stop it. I'm the only one who can….' Turning around, the teen quickly ran out of the room, ignoring the shouts from his caretaker as he burst out the front door.  
  
***********  
  
The air rushed past the assimilated fighter as he flew through the afternoon sky, his helmet helping to protect his eyes from the wind. It had taken him a couple minutes to find a hiding place and assimilate, and right now, he was pushing himself harder then he had before, having been flying for about forty minutes straight with a stop.   
  
The news cast had to be near, he was sure of it. The area looked a bit familiar, following the main expressway until the telltale signs of the possible digimon's destruction were obvious. Following the path of destruction, Erin's face hardened in determination, as he pushed himself to try and fly a bit faster.  
  
Soon enough, the road lead into a town, now with cars embedded into windows of some of the businesses. The creature responsible wasn't hard to find, as it threw another car across an intersection, roaring loudly. It stepped out onto the street, driving its claws into the engine of another vehicle, then walking past it, as if it there was no rush to it's carnage.  
  
Erin floated above the buildings, watching the monster, waiting for a moment to strike without having a car thrown at him. Before he moved from his position though, a flapping caught his attention, coming from behind one of the other buildings. Unsure what could be making the noise, Erin moved a bit higher in the air, staring in shock at the sight that greeted him.   
  
On the other side of the building was another creature, large, red, leather wings keeping it afloat, despite a couple small holes in them. It's body was similar to a snakes, hanging from the creature's body, while on it's head was a bone-like mask, with two antler that looks like they were a different kind of bone, or maybe wood. Red hair, similar to the wing's color fanned out from beneath the mask wildly, as the creature's blood red eyes stared in the direction of the dragon man. As the assimilated fighter watched the new monster, he saw it open it's mouth, screaming in a feminine voice, ""Spinning Needle!" a sudden stream of energy filled with hundreds of small needle like objects firing from the gaping maw.  
  
Turning towards the female creature's target, Erin watched as the dragon-man picked up another car, using it as a shield from the attack. It retaliated once the attack had finished, throwing its makeshift shield at the flying monster, which dodged the attack easily.  
  
"All right, Airdramon. Keep it up, so we can try and send him back." Yelled a young girl from the top of a building, to the flyer. Her shoulder length red hair hung around her shoulders as she stood watching the battle, dressed in a normal pair of jeans and a green T-shirt. Erin was more then a little surprised to find a normal looking girl, yelling to one of the two monsters' he had found. 'Digidestined? Maybe…'  
  
Shaking his head, the teen turned back to the dragon, watching as it slashed its claws in the air, making a slash of energy fly at Airdramon. "Strike Claw!" It continued swinging it's claws, making shot after shot of energy fly at the agile digimon, who dodged all but the final shot, which clipped it on one of it's wings.  
  
Erin watched as Airdramon started plummeting, using it's uninjured wing to slow its descent. Finally moving into action, he flew just under the feminine creature, catching in his arms and flying her over to the girl whom had been yelling to her. As he laid her down, he took a step back, watching the shocked look in both girls' eyes. Before he could say anything, the yell from the other digimon echoed in the air, followed by a couple of its attacks striking the building the trio stood on.  
  
As the assimilated teen turned, about to engage the attacking monster, he heard the girl call out, asking him to stop. He turned his head, watching her a moment, the unease still there, but not as strong now.   
  
"Do you know why he's here?" She watched him closely as she asked.  
  
Shaking his head, Erin turned slightly back to the girl. "No. But I won't let him hurt anyone." Turning away from her again, he jumped from the side of the building, flying straight at his opponent.  
  
The new fighter caught the dragon-man off guard, as Erin barreled into its chest, crashing the two of them into the front of a nearby store. As they both got to their feet, the blue skinned creature tried to strike at the armored teen, soon putting the two into a test of strength, as they held one another's hands, pushing against each other. Although the rampaging digimon was the taller of the two, by about a half a foot or so, neither let up in the slightest.  
  
Tired of the grappling battle, the dragon opened its mouth, as a small ball of energy began collecting. Before Erin could react, he heard it yell, "Strike Fang!" firing the energy into his chest, and knocking him back out into the street.  
  
Erin shook his head, a little dazed from the hit, before he looked up, seeing the dragon making his way out of the damaged building. Before it could take more then a step out of the building, a spray of needles struck at its feet, making it step back. Looking up to the attack's source, Erin saw the girl and Airdramon at the edge of the roof.  
  
Floating a couple feet into the air, Erin turned back to the pair, yelling in his duel voices. "You wouldn't happen to know a way to take this guy out, would you?"   
  
Dodging a piece of rock thrown at him, the teen glanced back at the girl, as she thought for a minute, before yelling back. "Your gauntlets! They're Dramon Destroyers, right? That means Strike Dramon can be defeated with them!"  
  
Erin looked at his clawed gauntlets for a moment. 'Dramon Destroyers?' Erin gazed down at the Strike Dramon, who was grabbing another large rock to throw at him. With a determined look on his face, he brought his claws together in front of him, making a beeline at the destructive digimon. As he felt that instinctive feeling in the back of his mind, he failed to hear the girl try to get his attention, as he started spinning like a top.  
  
"Black Tornado!" The speed he was spinning at soon doubled, as his body formed a funnel of wind around him, striking the dragon digimon in the chest with the wing and his spinning claws. After a moment, Strike Dramon shattered into hundreds of small particles, disappearing as Erin stopped his momentum and landed.  
  
Erin watched quietly as the girl rode Airdramon to the ground, watching as it began to glow once they had landed. Soon, the glowing shrank, to reveal a small creature, with a purple, oval shaped body, and small wings for ears. It landed in the girl's arms, as she walked over to him, a slight frown on her face.   
  
"You should have waited a moment." She said, a bit of dissapproval in her tone. "I wanted to find a computer, so we could try sending him back to the digital world."   
  
Erin blinked, still a bit shocked at the way she was acting, as well as her words. "Digital world?" He asked.  
  
It was her turn to be surprised now, before she began giving him that appraising look again. "Are you serious?" When he didn't answer, she sighed softly, before turning her head slightly. "We should leave. With Strike Dramon gone, the authorities will be here soon, and we need to be gone."  
  
The duel voiced teen nodded in agreement, his improved hearing already catching the sound of emergency vehicles making their way into the area. "Is she alright? I can give you a lift if you want…" He asked nervously, a little unsure how to approach wanting to talk.   
  
She gave a soft smile, and nodded. "Please. Tsukaimon still needs to rest before she can evolve again. My names Emily, by the way."  
  
Giving a small nod, the assimilated teen smiled gently. "Erin." He reached down, putting his question about why the digimon was being called something different aside, as he picked Emily up in his arms, taking off into the air and letting her point out where to go.  
  
*************  
  
Floramon ~ At last, Erin has met a digidestined! But as the answers he gets give him more questions, will he be ready for a more powerful attack? Find out next time, on Dark Diaries!  
  
A/N ~ Hehe, guess I'll have the muses do the next episode recaps from now on. ^_^ Anyway, just for a point of explaining, no Ms. Klink did not have the full discussion about sex with Jill in an hour. She just gave the basics, and said she shouldn't act like that with Erin, is all. Not even I think someone could have the bird and the bees explained within one hour. Anyway, See ya next time! 


	5. Entry 5 Learning Curves

Dark Diaries

Entry 5

"Learning Curves"

Author ~ Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

**********

The moment the roof was under his feet, Erin had a sinking feeling of apprehension. Letting Emily down, along with her digimon, he shifted nervously, almost expecting something bad to happen. Being in such a large city in his assimilated form was not helping to ease his tension.

The red headed Digi-destined smiled softly, nodding back to him as she took a step forward. "You can change to a human I'm assuming?" She watched calmly as he nodded his response. "Go ahead. Your safe here, and there is something I should give you too."

Erin tensed at the last words. Safe? He had really begun to think nowhere was safe anymore. But he did as she asked, grasping the coin tightly in his hand as he watched her quietly.

She gave a courteous nod, before she began leading him towards stairwell a few feet from them. "I won't keep you long, since I'm betting you need to get home too. But I just want to gi…"

Both teens have a look of surprise, as another pair of kids ran out of the stairs. They both looked to be around the same age as Emily, although more shocking to Erin were the pair of digimon following them. One looked like a little white seal, with a small red Mohawk on it's head, who was following behind a boy who's brown hair looked like it was in a natural state of dishevel, while wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. The other digimon had a head like the bulb of a flower, along with hands that did as well. However, while it's body looked like it was the same color as leaves, aside the lower half of it's head, which was red, it had a lizard-like tail coming from behind it. The little flower like creature was standing in front of a young blond girl protectively, who seemed to have a bright smile on her face.

The brown haired boy ran up to Emily, giving Erin a sidelong glance for a moment. "Why the hell did you go without us? What might have happened if that Strike Dramon had been too strong you alone?" His voice sounded slightly annoyed, but the worry in it was over powering it.

Emily gave a small sigh, as she patted the boy on the shoulder. Turning her head to Erin, she smiled softly to him again. "I'd like you to meet two of the other members of the Detroit team. This is Greg, our resident pessimist, with his partner Gomamon, and Sue with Floramon." She turned back to Greg, who was giving a distrusting look at the nervous teen standing behind her. "And Erin here provided more then enough assistance. Now if you wouldn't mind Greg, how about e-mailing Mimi and telling her the problem is taken care of, so she doesn't make the trip here for nothing."

A soft giggle from the stairwell caught the Erin's attention as a young girl walked out. She was closer to his own age, wearing a blue mini-skirt and a T-shirt that was the same colors as the flag with one big star in the center of it. Her brown hair hung a little below her shoulders, as she walked up to the small group. Right behind her was another plant like creature, this time with a more oval head with a small flower on it and flat hands with small colored claws on the ends. 

"Actually, I got here a couple minutes before Greg saw you flying up with your new friend." She walked up to Erin, smiling gently. "A pleasure to meet you, my name's Mimi Tachikawa." She offered her hand to the teen, who returned the handshake gently. "No need to be so nervous, we're all friends here."

A soft snort from Greg definitely said differently from some, while Sue walked over, smiling brightly still. "Wow… so you're the Digi-destined who's been stopping those digimon up north? Who's your partner?" 

Erin blinked slightly, his cheeks blushing a little from the sudden attention. "P...Partner…?"

Sue tilted her head curiously. "Yea, your digimon partner." She picked Floramon into her arm, who was still watching Erin warily. "Like Floramon is my partner, and Palmon is Mimi's partner." She motioned her head, indicating the plant digimon who was standing next to Mimi. "So who's yours?"

Erin fidgeted a little, getting more nervous by the second. "I...I don't have one…" He watched as everyone but Emily and her partner gave a startled look.

"But…" Mimi was the first to talk, giving him a gentle look as she did. "Then how have you been stopping the digimon attacks that have been happening in your town?"

Erin looked down a little, his hand gripping the coin harder. "I stopped them…"

A few moments of silence followed, as the Digi-destined took in what the young orphan had just said. Then Sue set Floramon back on the ground, walking over and wrapping her arms around Erin, getting a very deep blush from him.

"It'll be alright. After all, you're not alone anymore." She pulled back from the hug, once again smiling brightly. "So do you want to join our team?"

Greg sputtered slightly, frowning deeply at Sue. "Now wait a minute! We don't even know him, you can't just ask him to join us out of the blue!"

As Sue turned around to argue her point, Emily stood between the two, putting her hand up to stop the argument before it began. "Alright stop it you too. This is not the time, nor the place for this." She looked over to the Erin. "Thank you for the ride, as well as the assistance with Strike Dramon." She looked over to Mimi, who gave her a small nod. "If you ever need us, Mimi can explain how to get in touch with us. I do hope you'll keep in touch though." Taking her team members by the arms, she firmly lead the both of them to the stairwell, continuing to try and stave off an argument between the two as their partners followed them.

Erin blinked, trying not to show the sad feeling he had. He had appreciated the offer, but the way the boy had reacted….

"Don't mind him. He's the type that is very pessimistic. And Sue's a bit on the opposite of the spectrum." Mimi smiled softly as she watched the brown haired teen closely. Reaching in her pocket, she pulled a CD in a small plastic case out, handing it to him. "Here. A Beginner's Guide to Digimon. It can explain most of the basics you might wanna know, as well as having notes on most of the known digimon right now. A place to get an account and e-mail is also in there, so you can contact other Chosen and Digi-destined."

Erin blinked a little in surprise, as he looked at the CD, holding it in his hand. "Chosen?" He asked, as his curiosity got the better of him.

Mimi smiled and nodded. "Yep. Chosen and Digi-destined is basically the same thing for different areas. In Asia, children with Digimon partners are called Chosen, while almost everywhere else, they are called Digi-destined."

Erin nodded slightly, noticing for the first time that the girl was oriental. Unfortunately, the reminder killed his urge to figure out more, as his depression of Selene's distance began settling in again.

A hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality as he looked up, seeing a concerned look on Mimi's face. "Are you alright?"

Nodding, the teen figured his face must have shown the sudden mood swing, for her to notice. "Y… Yea… I should get going, before everyone wonders where I am…" Turning quickly, he began walking for the roofs edge, as his hand tightened on the coin once again.

Mimi watched as the boy walked away, a concerned look crossing her face. "Well, if you ever need to contact anyone here, then the information on how to do it is on the CD, alright? And don't hesitate to say hi!" She smiled softly at the departing teen's back.

Erin stopped at the roof's edge, gazing down at the street full of cars as he listened to her last words. Giving a silent nod in acknowledgement, A soft purplish light began glowing from his right hand. "Coin fusion." He stated simply. He glanced back to Mimi, who gave a surprised blink at him. "Thank you." He gave a weak smile, before turning back to the sky. "Digital Assimilation!"

As the teen yelled, Mimi watched in awe, as a dark, almost purple glow covered his body, soon leaving him in the armor of his assimilated form. She stared in surprise, as he took off into the darkening sky, until she felt a tap on her leg. 

"Mimi… He looked almost like Black War Greymon." Mimi looked down at her partner. "And were his eyes…"

The chosen of purity nodded. "Yea… Before he changed, they were glowing red…" Picking up her partner, Mimi began walking for the stairs. "We should go. I'm sure Ikkakumon is having his hands full with your 'son'." She giggled softly as she saw a small blush form on the plant digimon's cheeks. Giving a last glance in the direction that the teen had flown, she started walking down the stairs. "I bet Koushiro has a field day, when he finds out about this."

***********

Erin sat behind the orphanage, quietly staring at the night sky. He was still having trouble grasping what had happened a few days ago. As he moved his gaze to the coin that was once again in his hand, He thought quietly to himself.

'Others… But they aren't like me. They're partnered to digimon, who help them like Airdramon helped Emily. I don't have anyone but myself though… So what does that make me then?' Sighing softly, Erin closed his eyes, the thoughts still troubling him.

Although there had not been any more attacks since the Strike Dramon incident, Erin's days had been anything but restful. The night he had arrived home, Ms. Klink had still been awake, and once again reprimanding him for being out beyond the orphanage's curfew, as well as not telling where he was going. For the last few days, he had been on extra cleaning duty, for punishment, dealing with Brian's smirks and quips making the small jobs even more tedious.

Looking into the stars, Erin felt his depression welling up again. While he was being punished, he had been able to convince Ms. K to allow him use of her computer, stating he just wanted to check his e-mail for letters from Selene, as well as try and learn about the creatures that had been attacking. He was thankful in the end, she had decided to agree, stating that as long as nothing inappropriate was being viewed, he could use it.

The CD Mimi had given him had been very informative, telling a lot about digimon, their evolutions, as well as many types. He had even found the three he had run into, finally knowing the name for the Dark Tyranomon that had shown up almost a week ago. He had also set up an e-mail account, so he could access the forum and such, all run by a Chosen named Koushiro, from Japan. He knew he probably should post something, but he just could never think about what to say. 

The most startling had been when he had found one specific digimon entry in the listing. Black War Greymon. The digimon had the exact same appearance as the dragon man on his coin, as well as the same armor he wore when he assimilated. But the worst part had been reading about the Black War Greymon that had fought the Odaiba Chosen, a digimon made of something called Control Spires, that had been a monster of destruction, ultimately being killed by War Greymon and Angewomon of the same group. 

"He was a monster who destroyed things. If I wear the same armor… Does that mean I might become the same?" Ever since reading what had happened to the fake digimon, Erin's worries over what he had become had come back in force. The knowledge had kept him from learning more over the last few days, not even going near the computer during that time, from fear of finding something else out that he didn't want to know.

"Erin?" The teen turned his head, closing his fist over the dark coin, as he saw Ms. Klink standing in the backdoor of the orphanage. "I thought you might be back here. Thinking about Selene?" She gave a gentle smile as she asked.

The mellow teen simply looked away slightly turning his gaze back to the stars again.

Giving a small frown, the orphan's caretaker looked up at the sky herself, taking a moment before speaking. "Your punishment is over today. Would you like to go to the mall with the rest of us tomorrow?"

Turning back to the older woman, Erin stood up quietly. "No thank you, Ms. K. I doubt I'd be much for company with everyone right now." Before she could say anything further, he slipped past her into the home, quietly walking away from her.

Beverly Klink watched her young ward walk past, sighing softly to herself. "I wish he would open up more," she quietly said to herself. Giving a final glance at the night sky, she walked back into the house herself.

***********

Erin lay in his bed silently, enjoying the quiet of the empty household. It had been a little over an hour since Ms. Klink had taken the rest of the children to the Valley mall and the teen had yet to leave his room yet. Unfortunately for his plans on staying in his bed, hunger was finally getting the better of him.

After a rummage through the kitchen, Erin began walking back towards the stairs, as he glanced into the living room. 'Someone must have left the television on.' He thought, walking over to the couch to find the remote. Just as he was about to turn the TV off, a flash of red caught his eye. Frowning slightly, he turned the volume up, taking a seat on the couch.

"And returning to our top story, we have pandemonium in the Valley Mall. Two creatures have been running amuck, one looking like a red demon with tattoos and a black pitchfork, accompanied by what looks like a young woman in a witch costume, including a broom and black cat. The Authorities have been notified, but for now the mall is attempting to evacuate itself, to keep the number of casualties down." 

The camera panned away from the reported, zooming in from a distance on the demon creature, taking a swipe at someone with its pitchfork. Behind it, the witch girl, with larger then normal hands and its red dress sat on a floating broomstick, giving the demon a slightly bored look.

"Digimon…" Erin stared in shock, as he heard the reporting beginning to repeat himself. Standing up, the young teen sprinted out of the house, as the dark coin, now in his hand again, began to glow brightly.

************

Darien was officially scared witless. Hiding behind Ms. Klink, he could just barely see the demon looking creature, laughing darkly as it jumped from place to place. As it moved around the center of the mall, taking random swings at various people, while the crowd continued panicking. Although it wore no clothing, it's red skin had various black tattoos on it's body, along with the typical pointed tail and small bat wings on it's back.

The witch wasn't acting in the same way though. Floating almost to the glass ceiling, the female seemed to be almost pouting, as she watched her companion hop around. Her red pointed hat was tilted slightly, the same color as the dress covering her body, while the small black cat on her broom, as it the problems below would never effect it.

Watching in horror, the young boy stared as the demon swung his pitchfork over a small family, scaring the baby the woman was carrying into cry, as they ran away. Darien could feel Angela and Mary both standing right behind him, with Jill in front of him, holding a hand protectively in before him. Blocking her though, Ms. Klink and Brian both stood, shielding all the young children as they watched in horror. The hallway they had planned to escape down had been caved in by one of the demon's attacks, and although he had not noticed them, it had not left them many options for escape.

Remaining inconspicuous was not to last, as the demon's eyes turned towards the groups of orphans and their caretaker, grinning darkly. As it floated it the air, it glanced up to the witch, calling out. "Witchmon, don't you wanna join in the fun? Come on, these humans make such great toys." It started floated towards the trapped humans, as it's grin turned malicious. "And their screams are exquisite…"

Witchmon sighed softly, as she floated lower. "Maybe to you, Boogeymon. I'll just be glad to be out of here. Being teamed with you to find out why none of our trackers returned or relayed anything back is not my idea of fun." She sneered at the demon, as she landed, the cat hoping onto her shoulder as she held her broom in her hand now, revealing how much larger her hands were then normal.

Boogeymon landed in front of the small group, half turning away to look at the witch. "Don't enjoy my sparkling personality? Maybe I should ask for you as a present once I complete this mission…" He trailed his sentence off, as she noticed the wide eyed expression on Witchmon's face, almost as if she were gapping at him.

A gasp from the humans caught the demon's attention from his companion, turning to see the reason for her expression. Floating between him and his prey was a creature that looked remarkably like a Black War Greymon, if not for the human face coming out of the bottom of the helmet, as well as a human sized body.

Boogeymon grinned, as he looked this opponent up and down, as he floated silently in the air. "Well… Now this certainly is a surprise." Sniffing the air, his grin deepened. "Human and Digimon scents, hmm? That means you're not a real Black War Greymon… but that doesn't mean I won't get major points for taking you to our Master."

As the demon stabbed the pitchfork weapon at the new arrival, it was swiftly caught, as the assimilated fighter caught it with his claws between the forks. He barely even showed a strain as he held the weapon at bay, as he glared at Boogeymon.

"I don't care what you even want here, or who you even are… But for what you've done here, your as good as dead." The duel voices rang from Erin, as he shoved back at the weapon, throwing Boogeymon off balance, before he quickly flew forward, punching the small demon into a wall on the other side of the clearing.

Landing on the ground, Erin glanced around, a bit surprised the small witch had disappeared already. He turned back, watching the members of his orphanage staring at him in shock and fear, before he pointed to one of the open hallways. "Get out of here, quickly. I'll handle him. Go!" He yelled the last, which spurred the caretaker to running the children out of the building, leaving him alone with his two opponents.

Walking slowly into the center of the clearing, the assimilated teen glanced around, curious what he was dealing with this time. Before he realized what had happened, a blast of air struck his back, as he heard a female voice yelling. "Luna Gale!" Turning his head, he caught sight of the witch, floating by the edge of the second floor food court. She stared in surprise, as he began floating up towards her, holding his claws at his sides ready. Before he could get close enough to attack, something else struck his back, barreling him through the glass ceiling.

Wincing as he felt the glass slicing into his upper body, only slicing him where his armor wasn't protecting him, Erin twisted his body, batting Boogeymon away with his gauntlet. Breathing heavier, he watched the demon, as it grinned darkly at him. Once again he was caught by surprise, as the red digimon's eyes closed to slits, glowing a darker red. "Ruby Gaze!" The blast of energy caught Erin in the chest, making him grunt, as he was pushed back, holding his left hand over the injury on his chest.

Boogeymon laughed deeply, as he stared at the assimilated fighter. "Are you the one who killed our scouts? Hmm, I can't believe someone like you could even beat a Child, let alone full-grown Adults. Ruby Gaze!" Another blast of energy hit the Black War Greymon look alike, this time connecting with his head.

Flying up to join the battle, Witchmon looked at the odd digimon, as it held its chest. "Well, we don't even know what type it is, Boogeymon. Have you ever seen anything like it, besides a vaccine and viral War Greymon?" She floated up even with the twin combatants. "Besides… What if he knows where the power source is?"

Giving a small groan, Boogeymon waved his clawed hand at the witch digimon. "Yea, yea… Hey, wimpy. You know about any dark power sources around here?" The demon though he heard a soft growl, but outwardly, the armored digimon gave no response. "No? Good! That means I can delete you, and then go after those delicious morsels you let run away."

Just as Boogeymon was about to move towards the injured fighter, a dark aura began surrounding Erin's assimilated body, as a deep growl emanated from his body. Lowering his hand from his chest, he glared at the demon man digimon, no longer caring about the small amount of blood that was coming from the chest wound. "No… You won't harm them ever again…"

Surprising both of the normal digimon, Erin lunged forward, forcing his body into a spiral with his claws in front of him. "Black Tornado!" As the funnel of wing surrounded him, the fused teen felt his claws connecting with Boogeymon's body, causing the demon to scream in pain. Before the blow could kill the digimon, he quickly stopped himself, as he slammed his claw into the red monster's chest, sending him flying into the roof of the mall.

Holding his hands in front of him, he began collecting energy into a ball, the orange sphere of power growing immensely, as he raised it above his head. "Now enjoy the emptiness of your own existence! Terra Destroyer!" Whipping the ball of energy at Boogeymon, the last thing he heard was a cry of pain, before the attack's explosion went off. As the smoke cleared, a small crater had been added to the roof, with no signs of the demon digimon.

Staring for a few moments, Erin shook his head back to the present, as he turned himself around to Witchmon. The young female digimon stared at him in terror, before holding her hands up, with her palms facing him. "W...wait! I...I give up… alright?" The young witch stared at the human looking version of an ultimate digimon, as he floated closer. "Look, I'll just leave, and you won't have to worry about it…" She started to floated backwards, but was stopped as the destructive fighter grabbed the handle of her broom, quickly catching her.

"Why should I trust you? Every digimon who's appeared here has threatened innocent people, and felt no remorse for the destruction they have caused!" The young witch tried to back up a little more, as she saw a slightly purplish glow forming where the fused warrior's eyes were. "What's stopping me from destroying you right now?!"

As the clawed arm began drawing itself back, Witchmon held up her hands, waving them frantically. "B…Because… You're a good guy? Aren't the good guys supposed be merciful?" She watched as the hand stopped its assent, as the glow in his eyes slowly dimmed back to the amber eyes in the socket of his helmet. The Adult level digimon sighed in relief, as she felt her cat jump from her broom to the shoulder of the digimon that had almost deleted her.

Erin stared, turning his head slightly, remaining still as the cat landed on his shoulder plate. He had the feeling it hadn't been intentional, as he could see the look of terror in Witchmon's eyes, probably fearing he may take this as an attack and destroy her anyway. As he felt the small feline nuzzling against his neck, he turned his head to face the digimon again, watching her stiffen under his gaze.

"Alright… I won't delete you, as long as we make a deal. You answer my questions, and don't cause any trouble, and I won't kill you. To make sure you don't run off on me, I'll keep your friend here until we have the chance to talk." Releasing the broom, he floated back a foot, petting the cat on his shoulder as he watched the panicky digimon.

Witchmon's eyes went wide again, at the demands that this creature was making of her. But she didn't have a choice, if she wanted her cat back. She gave a slightly grunt, as she crossed her large hands under her modest chest, turning her head away from him slightly. "Fine, it's a deal. As long you promise to take care of her, all right? She comes back having not eaten or anything, and the deals not only off, but your ass is mine."

Erin gave a very small smile, as he heard the purring from his 'captive's' pet. "Deal. Oh, and I'll be leaving her in the care of the people I got away from your friend. I find out you tried to get her back before we talk, and the same can be said for you." Seeing the nod from Witchmon, he nodded in return, turning and beginning to fly back to his home. "Follow me. We have to hurry to find you a place to stay, so no one decides to attack you."

"Fine… But never call that ugly thing my friend ever again…" She gave a shudder as she followed behind the assimilated teen. "By the way, Can I at least know a name to call you? It's better then "Hey you," or "Horn face." She smirked softly.

Turning his head back as the pair of them flew, Erin thought over his answer for a moment, before he gave another soft smile. "Black War Humon will do." At the startled look, he gave a soft laugh in his duel voices, speeding up to try and beat his family home.

***********

ToyAgumon ~ Wow, looks like Erin's got his hands full now. And he's got a code name now! *Gives a small cheer*

Floramon ~ *nods and smiles softly* Yep. But with Witchmon as a captive, and questions starting to arise around the small town he lives in, what's Erin going to do when someone comes looking for the little witch digimon? Find out next time, on Dark Diaries!

Dooby ~ *one of the old beer commercial penguins waddles out, next to the two digimon muses* dooby dooby du…

A/N ~ Well, I can't think of anything specific to try and explain this chapter. ^_^ I would like to put a request out for Pre-readers, who are very good at finding spelling and grammar problems. Right now, I simply want one for Dark Diaries, so I can try and make this as nice as I can. I am looking for a couple people, and I do want to point out, I will need to see some form of work done to keep ya around. ^_^ I'll be trusting you with seeing the story pre-posting, which is a big deal for me with this story, so I'm not looking for someone who just wants to read stories early. Anyway, I hope I hear back from someone, since my original editor I had has disappeared on me for the moment. Well, see you all later, entry 6 is going to be in the works soon!


	6. Entry 6 Keep your friends close

Dark Dairies 

Entry 6 ~ "Keep your friends close..."

Written by Rocker Starlight

Permission by Lord Archive

A/N ~ This chapter will contain speech that is telepathic. To allow you readers to know the difference easier, telepathic speech will be between * - *. I hope this helps ease your reading experience. ^_^

****************

Erin rubbed his forehead as he watched the news on the television. It had been four days since the attack at the mall, and almost every single day had shown one or more eyewitnesses being interviewed, venting their opinions that the monsters that kept attacking their town should be destroyed. Others sounded a bit more reasonable, merely voicing their worry over the safety of their friends and family. 

Shaking his head, Erin finally turned the TV off in annoyance. While he understood how some of those people felt, it really grated at him that half of them did not know anything about the incidents they had supposedly been at. After hearing more then one person complain about how 'That Dragon man that always showed up' was a menace, the teen had finally gotten sick of listening.

Walking to the kitchen, the orphan smiled at Jill as he moved past her. He watched a moment as she made some turkey sandwiches, packing them in small paper bags for the younger children. As he grabbed a few pieces of fruit out of the refrigerator, he piled them onto a plate, starting to carry them out when he saw the mute girl giving him a curious look.

Laughing softly, Erin tried not to smile nervously. "Don't mind me, Jill. Just been really hungry the last few days, ya know?" As he watches her eyebrow raise a little more, he backs up slightly. "Well, gotta run, got to... Write a letter to Selene!" Laughing a little more nervously, he slipped out of the kitchen quickly, before Jill could sign anything.

Sighing softly to himself, the teen quickly walked out the backdoor of the home, glancing around to make sure no one noticed him as he make his way out to the tool shed behind the building. Giving a final look around, he slid himself quickly into the small shed.

"It's about time." Witchmon sat on one of the crates inside the small building, her broom in a corner. The small black lines on her eyes, looking as if someone had drawn a single line across her closed eyes, made her soft glare a little cute. The small, golden claws on the back of her gloves gleamed a moment as she reached her large hands out for the plate. Taking it, she quickly took a small apple, taking small bites out of it.

Erin leaned against the door, watching the witch digimon eat the assorted fruits. He had hidden her here after the mall incident, and thus far, he had been able to keep anyone from finding out she was here. He had been able to say he had found her cat as a stray, and convince Ms. K to let him keep it as a pet in the house. Although his digimon captive had been more then a little annoyed when he had told her about it.

Wiping a little of the juices from the fruit from her mouth, Witchmon looked at her captor, setting the now empty plate down. "Well? Aren't ya gonna question me?" She smirked softly. "Or is it time for the strip search?" The blush from the boy's cheeks made her laugh softly, always enjoy pulling his chain a little when she could.

Giving a small huff, Erin sat down on the floor, leaning against the door still. "Well, how about telling me more about what you're looking for?"

The female digimon shrugged slightly. "I told you already. I was told to find a dark energy source that had been detected faintly in this area of Earth. Unfortunately, my superior made me team up with that idiotic Boogeymon, who just wanted to scare a bunch of humans. And we can see where that got him." She gives a small smirk. "And before you ask again, no I can't name my superior, since he never told me who he was. All I know is he's male, and I would recognize his voice."

Erin sighed softly as he nodded. She had given him the same answers during the short period he had questioned her a couple days ago. "Well.. If you didn't like Boogeymon, why agree to work with him?"

Witchmon crossed her arms over her chest, as she gave a small huff. "I wasn't given an option. When the headmaster from Witchelny tells you to follow a mysterious voices orders, you don't question it, no matter how much you want to..."

Erin tilted his head, watching her curiously. "Witchelny?"

The digimon gave a small smile, as she grabbed her cloak, laying the black fabric on her lap and smoothing it out. "Witchelny is a separate part of the digital world, where many magical, demon, and angelic types go to learn magic. Most of the expert magic casters in the Digital World came from Witchelny." She smiled a little more, a bit of pride in it this time.

The teen nodded, as he listened. He was no closer to knowing who it was that was attacking his home, but at least he may be able to learn more from a digimon itself now. Standing up, he turned towards the door slightly as he spoke. "We'll continue this later. I need to get back inside before anyone comes looking for me." As he saw the female witch nod, he walked out, leaving her by herself in the tiny shed.

****************

Jill watched out of the window of her bedroom, as the older teen walked out of the tool shed. It was the sixth time he had gone by himself into the small building, and she had been wondering just why he was suddenly going out there so much. Especially since every time he had, he had taken food in.

Sitting back on her bed, she adjusted the shorts and T-shirt she had put on, because of the summer heat, thinking quietly. Erin had been acting strange over the last couple weeks, disappearing at times, acting a little nervous. The strangest thing she had noticed had to be the injuries he had gotten while he had been home by himself, supposedly from falling down the stairs. Although when she and Ms. Klink has bandaged his chest up, she had wondered how he got a small cut in the middle of the large bruise on his chest.

Walking over to her dresser, she picked up one of the framed pictures. She looked at the photo, that had been taken a little over two years ago and smiling faintly. The picture was from a fourth of July celebration that the orphanage had gone to in Clio Park. Erin stood in the center, blushing and smiling nervously, with Selene and Jill both on his arms, both girls dressed up for the evening. 

Setting the picture back on the dresser, Jill wiped the small tear out of the corner of her eye. She could still remember helping Selene to turn the embarrassed teenager more shades of red then she had known existed over the course of the night. 

Shaking her head out of the memory, she regained her normal smile, as she put a scrunchie in her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. Walking out of her room, she gave herself a small, silent giggle. Since Erin had decided he needed to hide something, it seemed about time she figured out what it was.

***************

Walking through the park, Angela smiled sweetly as she and Mary walked hand in hand, watching some more of the reconstruction of the playground. She and her twin had been coming as often as possible to see watch the work since it had begun. Glancing over, she smiled over her shoulder at Ms. Klink, who was sitting on a park bench watching them.

Angel continued walking around the outside of the working people, adjusting the small blue dress she had worn, matching her twins identically. As she watched the people walking back and forth, something caught her attention away from the workers. Looking over, the assertive twin could see a pair of hands with red gloves juggling fire behind the consession stand for the softball diamonds. Tugging on her twin's hand, Angela started to lead her sister over to the hand, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Mary was more then a little cautious, slowly following her twin. She glanced back at her caretaker, who was watching them from a distance, and gave a small wave. Seeing the older woman motioning for them to come back towards her, Mary tugged back on Angela's hand, stopping. "Angel, Ms. Klink wants us to go back."

"But, I wanna see who was juggling the fire!" She points towards the woods, seeing the pair of hands gone. Blinking, Angela looked around, trying to find the gloves owners, before finally giving up. "Alright..." Reluctantly, she followed her sister back to the bench.

Another hour passed, before Beverly Klink decided it was time for them to go home. "Angela, Mary, its time to go." She stood up, putting her thin jacket back on, as she waited for the twins to come back.

Angela looked up, having been exploring around the opposite side of the playground, when she heard her caretaker's voice. Pouting slightly, she picked up the pretty colored rock and slipped it into the pocket of her dress. Just as she stood up, her eyes widened as she noticed someone else was standing close to her.

At first, she thought it might by a young boy, a few years older then her. All his clothes were a deep red color, from the gloves on his hands to the hat on his head. The holes for his arms and his hat both were almost frayed looking, almost looking like actual flames, while his pants simply had flame designs on the bottom of them. A pair of goggles sat around his hat, settled on the brim, while hanging from the pair of black belts around his waist, hung two large matches, one with a red head and the other with a blue one. Her thoughts that he might be another child were tossed out, as she looked at his face better, seeing small stitches in his mouth, as if to hold it closed, as well as the purplish skin on his face and arms.

She stared at the red colored boy a moment, as she stood up, brushing her dress off a little, before smiling softly. "Your the boy who was juggling the fire, weren't you?" He nodded silently, holding up his left hand and making a couple, small balls of fire dance over his hand, before they disappeared again. Angela's face brightened, as she saw the display. "Wow! Could you teach me to do that?!" She asked eagerly.

The boy stared at her a moment, looking her up and down, before smiling slightly, giving her a nod. "I'll follow you home. Just don't tell anyone. It'll be a surprise." 

The girl gave a startled look as she watched the stitched mouth open slightly, just enough for him to talk, before she gave a thought at the request. It wasn't lying, she just wouldn't tell anyone until he got there to teach her. Smiling again, she nodded. "Alright, see you there!" She turned around, running off happily around the half-constructed playground.

The 'boy' smiled darkly, as he turned around, walking towards a few trees. "We'll follow her. She barely has the scent of the one we want." Jumping into the tree, he disappeared from sight.

***************

Witchmon sighed softly, as she lay on the small mat that the boy had brought her. With her hat sitting with her cloak on top of the crate, all she had on was her dress, boots, and her gloves. Caressing her stomach with her large hands, she closed her eyes, trying to relax a little. Her rest was interrupted as she heard a small noise, sounding like it came from the house. Muttering softly to herself, she stood up, sitting on the crate, as she waited for the human male to return and question her further.

Her eyes went wide, when she saw the door open, to reveal a young human girl in a pink tanktop and baby blue shorts. Her blond hair was pulled into a ponytail behind her head, and dark blue eyes staring back at the digimon in shock. Witchmon was more surprised, when the young girl she recognized from the mall stepped into the shed, closing the door behind her.

The witch digimon watched the young girl for a moment, as the blond gave her a soft smile. She watched as the human started moving her hands oddly, as if trying to say something. "Umm... Hello? Konichiwa? Buenos Dias?" As she watched the girl nod and try those hand gestures again, the female digimon sighed softly, touching the human's mind with her limited telepathy. *There, this should help. Now, hello?*

The girl blinked, as she heard the words inside her mind. *H...Hello? How are you doing this?* Her mental voice was a soft, sweet tone, as she watched the digimon curiously.

Witchmon smirked softly, as she watched the bewildered human. *I can speak telepathically with people I am near. It makes conversations so much easier, don't you think? So, what's your name then?*

The girl smiled softly as she bowed her head. *My name is Jill Kenneth. Who are you? Why does Erin keep coming out to visit you?*

Witchmon stared at the girl a moment. *Erin?* As a mental image formed from the girl, showing the boy who had been questioning her, the digimon gave a small smile. *I'm Witchmon. And Erin has been letting me stay here, so no tries to hurt me.*

Jill nodded, accepting the explanation. *Would you like me to get you something to eat? I can probably bring you a sandwich, or a pop, or something.* She smiles sweetly, feeling happy to be able to speak with someone who can easily understand her.

The witch digimon nodded to the sweet girl. *A drink will be fine. Erin already brought me food for dinner.* Witchmon watched as the girl nodded and quickly ran out of the shed. She didn't know why she had side stepped explaining the complete reasoning behind her being here, but the emotion she had felt for the boy who was holding her just made her not want to tell her.

The digimon waited a few minutes, wondering why it seemed to be taking Jill longer then it would Erin, before a noise from outside caught her attention. She frowned slightly, smelling the familiar scent of a digimon outside the walls of shed. Putting her cloak and hat back on, she took her broom, cracking the door slightly to peak outside.

Witchmon's eyes widened as she saw why the human girl hasn't returned. From her point of view, she could see Jill, stuck to a giant spider's wed, with a Dokugumon standing before her. With its big, black body facing the shed, the skull and crossbones upside down to her, she could just barely see the large red hair on its head and the horns from the helmet. She frowned, figuring the spider digimon was probably drooling as it stared at the human. 

Opening the door, she stepped out, just about to blast the stupid bug, when a small fireball flew past her face, hitting the side of the shed. Turning her head in the direction the attack had come from, Witchmon was greeted by the sight of the short haired twin being held in front of a digimon dressed in red with a top hat that looked like it was a flame. A red glove held the girl by her throat, while a dark smile graced the stitched lips of the digimon holding her.

Witchmon's eyes widen in surprise, before her hand tightened on her broom. "FlaWizarmon…"

**********

Erin rubbed the back of his neck, as he walked home. After his talk with Witchmon, he had found a note from Ms. K, asking him to buy a few cat supplies, since it had been his request to keep the orphaned feline. Carrying the bags of cat food and kitty litter home, a chill ran up his spine, as he stepped in front of the door.

"Something… Something's wrong…" Glancing around, he quickly ran along the side of the building. Setting the bags down behind a bush, Erin pulled the coin out of his pocket, whispering softly to himself. "Coin Fusion."

As the dark power fused with his body, the teenager slowly crept towards the backyard, now able to here voices from that direction. Stopping at the corner, he looked around it, staring in shock at the scene before him.

In a giant web set up in front of the backdoor, Jill and Angela both hung from the thick strands, struggling some as they stared fearfully at a giant spider with a metal mask with horns and a skull and crossbones on it's back. It almost looked like It had two hands holding thick clumps if it's own red hair next to it's head, while the rest simply came out from under the mask.

By the shed, Witchmon was tied up with the same strands, stuck to the wall as she glared at a short digimon wearing red clothing, and a fiery looking top hat. Her broom was a foot away from her, as she struggled against the bonds holding her.

"FlaWizarmon, what's going on?! What's the meaning of this?!" Witchmon was almost screaming as she glared at the fire digimon. "I don't remember picking on human as being one of your pastimes."

FlaWizarmon turned away from the witch, a smirk on his stitched mouth. "Normally I wouldn't give a care, if I hadn't been told to bring you back. Lord Mystimon wishes to see you, to 'discuss' your failure." As the witch's eyes widened, the flame wizard walked in front of the giant spider, running a finger along Angela's cheek, making the young girl stare in fear. "If not for this young human, I would not have found you for quite some time. Your scent was just barely on her."

Erin dug his nails into his palms as he watched the wizard, barely keeping himself from growling. It was his fault FlaWizarmon and his pet spider had found them, since he had been the only contact between the female digimon and anyone in the house. Hanging his head slightly, a soft growl escaped him, as he stared at the grass. 

Witchmon shifted her arms, using the small claws on her gloves to try and slowly cut through the spider's webbing. Just as she finished cutting the first strand, she stiffened as she felt a strong presence close by. At first, she thought Mystimon may have followed the idiotic fire wizard, but when she looked at him, he had a pondering look on his face, looking at the corner of the building the humans lived in.

The female digimon watched, as Erin stepped out from around the corner, the dark aura concentrating around the human. His head was bowed low, but Witchmon could tell from the way his body was tensed that he was not being submissive.

"You…" Erin's voice came out in a half growl, as he began slowly walking towards FlaWizarmon, ignoring the Dokugumon. The spider made itself known to the teen as it stepped in between him and the wizard digimon.

As he stopped a foot before the large insect, the look of anger left his face, chuckling darkly as a small chuckle escaped him. He looked up, his eyes now blood red as he stared at Dokugumon. "Fine… You go first…Digital Assimilation!"

Everyone but Witchmon stared as they watched the teen was transformed into the assimilated form. With a growl, Erin slammed his claw into the side of Dokugumon's head, sending it flying through the fence into the next yard. As his gaze shifted to FlaWizarmon, the demon man digimon leapt backwards, landing on the roof next door.

"If you wish a fight, then follow me, half-breed." FlaWizarmon took another leap, disappearing behind the house.

Black War Humon growled deeper, about to take off after the digimon, when he heard a noise next to him. Turning he saw Angela give a small yell of fear as she stared at him, Jill seeming more startled then fear. He stared at the two girls, his claws lowering, before a soft swat at the back of his head brought his attention back from the two pairs of eyes.

Glancing behind him, Witchmon lowered her broom from having using it to hit the assimilated teen, putting it underneath her, as she began floating. "Time to wake up, Black War Humon. You can explain things later, but right now, Dokugumon is still around. You be a good boy, and show it how well you can swat a bug." A dark smile graced the female digimon's face as she continued. "Flame boy is mine."

As Witchmon flew off after FlaWizarmon, Erin turned back to the girls. Carefully slicing at the bonds around them, pulling both girls from the web, and setting them on the ground. "Both of you go inside, and stay there. Don't let anyone come out, until I return. I'll explain then, alright?" The deeper voice was a little stronger then before, as he knelt down and addressed the two girls. "It'll be alright, I promise."

Jill watched the assimilated teen for a moment, before giving a gentle smile and nodding. Placing her hand on the startled red head's shoulder, she led Angela around the building, leaving Erin alone.

Giving a soft smile, Erin stood up, holding his arms out wide, as he looked over his shoulder, seeing Dokugumon returning. "Well then… Shall we dance?"

***********

Witchmon flew through the sky of the small town, looking around for the viral wizard she was chasing. "FlaWizarmon, come out here and fight!"

"Fire cloud!" 

The attack came from her side, as a small shower of fireballs flew at her. Swinging her hand at the balls of flame, she countered. "Luna gale!" She watched as the wind of her attack ripped the fire apart.

"Heh. You always were a pain for me." The flame wizard stepped out from behind, his matches both in his hands. "But after this, Lord Mystimon will give your place, working for the new master of Witchelny. Fire cloud!" Swinging his blue match, the end burst into flames, firing another slew of fire at the witch.

Frowning, Witchmon held her hand in front her, facing the palm at the attack. "Aqua pressure!" As the water energy collected, it flattened and expanded, forming a barrier that shielded her from the fire. "Luna gale!" Letting the shield drop, she swung her hand again, firing the blast of air through the water, watching the water and air hit her opponent.

FlaWizarmon hissed as he felt the mixed attack striking him, growling softly. "Stupid bitch!" Bringing his red match down on the roof, flames began to form on the stones, starting to engulf the fire digimon. "Magic Ignition!" FlaWizarmon's body began to glow with the flame, as the fire around him gained strength, empowering the digimon. "Fire cloud!'

Dodging low, Witchmon landed on the roof next to the one her opponent was on, using a stairwell to avoid some of the attacks. "Turn a guy down, and he never forgets…" Landing on the ground, she held in her hands, with the bristles by her head. Once the attacks quieted down, she jumped from behind the stairwell, swinging her broom to help her attack. "Luna gale!"

The flame wizard growled as the wave of wind dampened the flames around him, but smiled as they proved unable to put the fire out. "You can't beat me, Witchmon. Even your magic can't put out my flames."

"Black Tornado!" 

FlaWizarmon's eyes went wide, as he felt the cylinder of wind surround him, pain coursing through his body. As the winds finally dissipated, the demon man dropped the two matched, barely holding himself upright. He slowly looked up, seeing Black War Humon smirking softly from above him, with his arms crossed over his chest. "Was that strong enough?"

"Fire cloud!" Throwing a small collection of flames at the assimilated fighter, FlaWizarmon growled as he saw the gauntlet covered arm swat the flames out with a simple gesture.

Witchmon, back on her broom, floating a little below Erin, smirking softly at the defeated digimon. "Hope you enjoy being reformatted. At least now, you won't have to deal with the rumors about your fire going out before you get started anymore. Aqua pressure!" Throwing her hand towards FlaWizarmon, a ball of water flew from her hand, striking the fire digimon with enough force that he burst into small black flecks.

Erin watched the attack, floating down to the same height as Witchmon, and smiles softly at her. "Thanks. I… well…"

The female digimon smiled at the human, patting him on the arm. "Your welcome. By the way, what happened to Dokugumon?"

Grinning a bit more, Erin chuckled softly. "He learned how good I am at bug swatting." Raising his claw to emphasize the comment, the pair laughed, as they flew back to the orphanage.

************

Erin fidgeted nervously, as he stood in front of the front door of the orphanage. He had already cleaned up the webbing and everything besides the broken fence in the back yard, to hide any evidence that a digimon attack had happened in his own backyard. Now, he had to try and face two people he considered like family, and was very paranoid about how they would react to what he had to tell them.

Feeling an overly large hand settle on his shoulder, Erin turned his head, looking at the smiling Witchmon. She had been acting much nicer since the fight with FlaWizarmon had ended, although Erin wasn't minding having someone to help him with this. "Calm down. You're shaking so much, I'm surprised you don't shake yourself into pure data." Laughing softly, she gave his shoulder a soft squeeze, before pushing him towards the door. "Now go in there and talk to them. I'll wait on the roof for you, alright?"

Stopping himself from hitting the door with his head, the teenager stood up straight again, giving the female a nod. As he listened to her fly up to the roof, Erin took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves as he walked into the house. He went quickly up the stairs, until he reached Jill's room, hearing a soft crying coming from the room. He knocked softly, and watched as the blond girl opened the door, quickly being ushered into the room. 

"Jill… Angel... I…I need to explain." He sat down on the bed, on the opposite end from Angela, as Jill sat down next to her, both girls watching him. He almost faltered at the sight of the tears in the red head's eyes, but he knew he needed to do this. "It started a little over a month ago, when I was having these weird dreams…"

**************

Floramon ~ *nods* Well, it seems Erin is finally learning to try and trust in people as well, as digimon. So when Erin is put to the test against a perfection digimon, will he prevail? Find out next time, on Dark Diaries!

A/N ~ First off, yes I got Witchelny from a site, I did not make it up out of my own head. Although since I have so little information, I am planning on working out Witchelny to be used more. ^_^

ToyAgumon ~ But, how did FlaWizarmon find Witchmon from Angela? They have never really been really close, physically, before he had already found her.

Well, this isn't that complicated. FlaWizarmon, being a magical digimon, was able to sence the residual aura on Angel. Because, after the mall, and being around Witchmon's cat, being around Erin, who was spending alot of time on her, and just being in the general area, left a small bit of Witchmon's aura around Angela, making it so the wizard could track her down. The term of 'scent' was not being used literally, although this detail may become covered in the next chapter.

ToyAgumon ~ *looks at one of the reviews* One of your reviewers has a question. He asked, where is Dark Diaries set?

^_^ Dark Diaries currently is set in Mt. Morris, MI, a small town that is literally just north of Flint, and about an hour north of Detroit.

On a final note, I am still looking for pre-readers. I'm mainly looking for editors for spelling and grammar, beyond what a spell check can accomplish, but knowledge of digimon, and thus editing he story a bit is welcome as well. E-mail me, and we can talk, and see if you would like to work with me. ^_^ I can think of benefits, but that is something I'll discuss in e-mails, not on my author notes. Well, hope everyone is enjoying the story, and see you all next chapter!


	7. Entry 7 Out of the frying pan, and into

Dark Diaries

Entry 7 - "Out of the frying pan, and into the fire!"

Author Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

A/N ~ This chapter will have speech that is telepathic, as well as sign language. To help clarify what speech is what, this key will show the symbols used for these two types of speech.

Telepathic = * - *

Sign Language = [ - ]

Thank you, and please enjoy this chapter of Dark Diaries. ^_^

*********

Some days, it simply did not pay to get out of bed.

Erin yawned, as he stretched his muscles slightly, sitting up in the bed. Sliding out of his bed, he stumbled, half awake, towards his dresser, to pick a shirt and a pair of pants to wear for the day.

"Hmmm… I see why Jill likes you now, Erin…" The male gave a start as he heard the feminine voice, grabbing his flannel jacket and wrapping it around his waist, as his skin turned a deep crimson. Turning his head, he saw Witchmon, sitting on his window, giving a large grin at him, her cat on one shoulder, and her broom laying over the other.

Grumbling softly, Erin grabbed a pair of boxers and pants, sliding them on under the flannel, and then letting the gray jacket drop once his dignity, as well as his manhood, was covered. "Witchmon, you know showing up like this isn't appropriate." He frowned slightly as she gaze him that cat-like grin. "Now, is there a reason you decided to surprise me? I need to start cooking soon, and you know Ms. K can't find you…" Turning his back to the digimon, Erin began rummaging for a T-shirt again.

Giving a soft laugh, the digimon stepped onto the floor, walking over. "Come on, I'm not stupid enough to be caught, Erin. Well, not again…" She winked as she game into his view, leaning against the dresser. "Now, it's been three days, and you haven't stayed out in that little hut you make me stay in longer then it takes to give me food. If not for Jill visiting me now, sometimes with that cute, little red head, I'd be bored out of my skull."

Erin grimaced slightly, listening to the words as he pulled a dark green T-shirt over his head. After he had explained everything to Jill and Angela, the teen had learned he had the problem of Jill wanting to know how she could help, while the younger red head was too tired and simply agreed to not speak of the matter. After a bit of disagreements on how Jill would be aloud to help, Erin had agreed to assistance with getting Witchmon food. 

Glancing at the digimon, who was staring intently at him, the brown haired teen sighed softly. "Fine. After breakfast, I'll come down and talk with you, alright?"

Witchmon winked at the flustered teen, nodding. "Fine. See you then." She walked slowly to the window, turning her head as she slide into her broom outside the window. "And tell Jill I liked the eggs she made yesterday." Giving a wave, the witch floated down from the window.

The digimon had left just in time, as a knock at Erin's door made him jump slightly. Walking to his door, he opened in, to be greeted by the surprised face of Ms. Klink, dressed nicely, as she looked the teen up and down.

"Well, it seems someone is finally trying to stop sleeping in. Well, go ahead and head downstairs to set up for breakfast. Jill is already cooking, so I would hurry." The older woman gave the teen a questioning look for a moment. "And you may want to change after breakfast. The Flint orphanage is sending someone to check in with us today, and he could be here any time after eleven."

Erin blinked, nodding as he listened to his caretaker. "All right." Slipping past the woman, he watched her start for Brian's room as he walked down the stairs. His mind quickly went back to the mundane activities, as he walked through the dining room, beginning to set up the table.

Walking into the kitchen, Erin could tell Jill had already known about the visitor later that day. Instead of her everyday clothing, today she had a light blue dress on, with her cooking apron over it, with a small tie on the back holding it closed. It was a rather basic dress, but with her hair in a small ponytail, she was quite attractive in it, even looking a little older then she was. The older boy even thought he noticed a small hint of makeup on her face, as he watched her cook the bacon.

Shaking his head clear of his surprise, the teen smiled softly, tapping Jill on her shoulder. She turned her head to him, smiling brightly. "Morning Jill. I take it Ms. K already told you about today?" At the nod, he continued. "Well, our windy friend said she enjoyed breakfast yesterday, so I think she is making requests." He watched the mute girl giggle silently, as he moved and got the orange juice for breakfast.

As Erin started to walk out of the kitchen, a tired Brian walked into the doorway at the same time, shoving the young boy so hard that he almost dropped the orange juice container. Hearing the jock mutter a soft curse at him, Erin sighed softly and simply continuing on. This was definitely turning into one of those days he should have stayed in bed.

**********

Breakfast went by with only minor problems, the largest being Brian's increased agitation, especially towards Erin. Throughout the meal, the blond football player had been snide with everyone, and constantly went out of his way to insult the brown haired teen. When he wasn't insulting anyone, Erin had caught the jock glaring at him, although he tried his best to ignore it. It was a relief for Erin, when Brian finished first for once, quickly leaving the table and the house.

After cleaning the table up, Erin grabbed a glass of milk and some toast and apples, not seeing any of the breakfast leftovers. Once he was sure everyone was getting ready for the busy day, he slipped outside, walking out to the shed, feeling a little nervousness. 

As he opened the door, he blinked in surprise, seeing Jill had beat him to the shed, along with bringing the leftovers from the meal that the witch digimon was eating eagerly. Setting the food he had brought next to the digimon, Erin closed the door, watching the digimon eating the food slow enough to savor it. 

After a few moments, the food was completely gone, leaving Witchmon leaning against the wall, patting her full stomach. "Can I marry you?" The digimon grinned at Jill, whose cheeks flushed a bit.

Frowning slightly, Erin tapped his knuckles on the door, reminding the two females he was still in the room. "Witchmon, you're the one who wanted me to come talk. So, do you feel like explaining just why that digimon was after you?"

Giving the male a pouty look, as her teasing is interrupted, Witchmon nods. "Well, FlaWizarmon and I both trained in Witchelny. He's always been a little… difficult to deal with, ever since I turned down his offer to be his mate. Ever since then, he's always tried to one up me, I guess to prove himself worthy, or something equally stupid." 

Watching the digimon cross her arms under her chest, Erin rubbed his forehead softly. "So that entire thing was a jealousy thing?"

Witchmon shook her head slightly. "No…at least not completely. The original mission I was supposed to be doing was finding a dark power source that was faintly appearing in this area of the real world. Before I left, Boogeymon was assigned to 'assist' me by finding out what happened to the digimon who had been sent searching before us. However, I was conveniently uninformed as to who those digimon were."

Erin blinked in surprise, as he felt the coin in his pocket warm a little. Could those digimon he had killed been the ones sent out before Witchmon?

"After we arrived, we found nothing of the power source, nor the others." The witch digimon continued. "While we tried flying around to find a clue, Boogeymon decided he was bored, and went to that building you call a 'Mall', to terrorize some humans. I'd have left him, if not for my orders from Lord Mystimon to not leave him alone. But then you fixed my problem by taking the little fucker out."

Erin frowned slightly at the language, glancing at Jill, who was sipping a glass of milk, and listening to the story intently. Turning back to the digimon, he waved his hand slightly. "Anyway. Back to the other day?"

Setting her hat down, Witchmon stood up, unclasping her cloak and laying it on the crate she had been sitting on. "The other day, was someone wanting to know what happened. I had expected someone to be sent to find me, once I never returned, but I've not one clue why it had to be that flaming moron, and his little pet spider. The worst part was, they acted like I was expendable. It really makes me wonder just what's going on in Witchelny."

Erin stood a moment, thinking about the information he had just learned. If the digimon he had encountered before Witchmon had been the ones she had been sent to find, then it meant more might come. More digimon, whose sole purpose was to find this power source, which he had begun to think, may be the coin he had gained. Pulling the coin out of his pocket, he looked at it, noticing the purple tint it got when the light hit it.

Glancing up, Erin saw both girls giving him curious looks. He blushed slightly under the scrutiny, before pocketing the coin again. "I'm going for a walk. Jill, tell Ms. K I'll be back for the social worker." Not waiting for a response, he quickly opened the door, walking swiftly out.

Jill stared in surprise, using the minor telepathic connection Witchmon always established with her to talk. *Why did he leave all of the sudden?*

Witchmon stared at the door a moment herself, frowning slightly. "I think I may have found out what that power source is… And I think Erin knows too." She frowned slightly as the young human gave her a curious look. Smiling sweetly, the digimon slide off her crate. "Don't worry about it. Now you should head in and tell your caretaker about Erin's walk, shouldn't you?"

The blond smiled, nodding. *Yea. I'll bring you lunch after the social worker is gone, all right?* She stood up, seeing the nod in response from Witchmon, and walked out of the shed.

Watching Jill walk out of the tool shed, Witchmon gave a soft sigh, as she leaned back against the wall again. Brushing a couple strands of her dirt blond hair out of her eyes, she admired her hand a moment, watching the large fingers wiggle as she gave a soft laugh. "Such troublesome things…" She sighed softly, running her hands along her sides, grinning mischievously.

**********

Walking down the main street of Mt. Morris, Erin barely noticed the cars driving past him as his feet continued moving. His mind was thinking back to the discussion with Witchmon he had just concluded. The one he had been avoiding for the last couple days.

'But why was I avoiding it? Was I worried I would learn something I didn't want to?' With his hands in his pockets, he could feel the coin against his skin, feeling a warm pulse coming from it. 'I would bet money this stupid coin is what brought them here… But why?'

Letting his mind wander from the infuriating subject, he thought about the last letter he had received from Selene, the day after the fight with FlaWizarmon. She had seemed distant, her words seeming as if she had rushed through without actually thinking about what she wanted to say. It had been a worry on his mind that something might be wrong with the girl, but he figured she would have told him if something was. After all, best friends told one another everything, right?

The thought brought a cynical chuckle from the teen as he started walking into the next small town's city limits without realizing it. He was still feeling guilty over not telling Selene about what had been going on over the last couple of weeks, but he could never think of how to explain it. How did you tell someone you turned into one kind of monster, to fight other kinds? She would think he was nuts! But not telling her was making him feel worse. 

Erin's attention came back to the real world, when he stopped a few inches in front of a man in a large trench coat. The large guy had on one of those brown hats that detectives in movies wore, and stood a good foot taller then himself. Around him, Erin realized finally where he was, as he saw the support pillars for the expressway overpass surrounding him.

Giving a polite smile, Erin looked up to the man, trying to ignore the way the man was staring at him intently. "Pardon me sir…" Turning around, he started to walk back the way he came, when the man's hand grabbed his arm, holding it tightly. 

About to tell the man off, Erin's voice froze in his throat, watching as the tall man removed his hat, revealing metal helmet, shaped like a skull. Twin red dots were glowing softly in it's eyes, as it pulled the trench coat off, it's light bluish skin having chains wrapped in an X pattern over it's upper body. A pair of black jeans and boots seemed almost too normal, aside from the metal plates on the pair of footwear. 

Erin watched in shock, before the sudden realization hit him, making him frown deeper. "Coin Fusion." He spoke softly, feeling the energy coursing in his body, as the inhuman person releases his arm, letting him see the helmet was actually it's head, including the lower jaw. Stepping a little bit away from the towering creature, Erin's eyes began to glow a deep red themselves. "Who are you?"

The digimon took a step forward, as an aura of blue fire began glowing behind it. "Death Meramon. I have come for the traitor and the power source." Taking one of its chains from its waist, it tugged the metal links tightly between its hands. "You will give me them now."

Erin growled softly, before he shook the unusual anger out of his head. "Why do you want them? Witchmon didn't do anything." The fused teen barely had time to duck, as the chain swung over his head, taking a chunk out of the support beam near him. 

Death Meramon began walking towards the human, it's eyes gaining a bit of light. "Give me them now!"

Erin stumbled backwards, almost loosing his balance, as he watched the digimon move towards him. "I don't want to do this. I don't want to fight you…"

The expression of the fiery digimon almost seemed like it was grinning, as it lashed it's chain at the same support beam, wrapping it around the concrete cylinder. "That makes it easier to kill you." Death Meramon yanked on the chain, breaking the support from the bridge, and tossing the chunk of concrete wrapped in its chain into the road, making a few cars swerve to miss it.

Erin growled, as he ran out from under the bridge, turning his head to look back at the digimon. "Come and get me then!" The loud footsteps told him he was indeed being followed, as he took off onto the hill that ran alongside the expressway. Once he was sure he was a bit of distance away from the road, he spun around, crossing his arms over his chest. "Digital Assimilation!"

Death Meramon blocked the purplish light from its eyes, as the human was covered in it. A moment later, the light died off, revealing the armored teen, holding his claws out at the fiery digimon. The sight of the Black War Greymon/human fusion caught Death Meramon off guard, costing him as the assimilated fighter brought his claw across the digimon's metal head.

Erin frowned, as she stepped backwards, watching the large digimon shaking off the punch. Charging forward, striking repeatedly, this time having the punches blocked but the chain-wrapped fists. Jumping back, he lifted his hands above him, starting to collect the energy for his attack.

"Heavy Metal Fire!" Before the attack could collect, Death Meramon released a torrent of flames from his mouth, aimed at Black War Humon.

Breaking his own attack, Erin quickly brought his shield in front of him, wince as the intense heat of the flames still caused some pain. Putting his shield back on his shoulders, Erin frown deeper, noticing the grass and trees around them still on fire. "Black Tornado!" Floating into the air, he began spinning his body, creating a small wind funnel, and holding his arms out wide to spread the winds and try and put out most of the fire.

Death Meramon began spinning his chain in one of his hands as he watched his opponent spin like a top in the tornado, whipping the end out, catching the assimilated teen's upper arm. Pulling hard, the fiery digimon pulled Erin out of the tornado, disrupting it, and slamming him into the ground. Before the armored human could gets his wits about him, Death Meramon swung him again, lifting him from the ground, and throwing him into another of the bridge's supports.

Rubbing his armored head, Erin began growling softly, slowly standing up. His left arm was hanging limply at his side, pain running through his shoulder. He knew it had been injured when the chain had caught him on his left arm, and pulled him from the high-speed spin he had been in, but he didn't have time to worry about it.

Raising his good arm, the assimilated teen was about to charge back into the fight, when the creaking of the bridge alerted him to the structure beginning to give way. Jumping into the road, he looked around, glad people had started to run out of the area the minute the battle had started. Just as he was about to fly out from under the bridge a dark chuckle came from behind him, followed with the sound of a chain striking the damaged overhead pass.

Wincing slightly, Erin swatted at a large chunk of rock falling at him, breaking it into pieces, as he heard screams above him. Flying up, he quickly braced the bridge with his body, holding it in the center so it could not break apart as quickly. Looking up, trying to fight back the pain in his arm, he watched as Death Meramon walked slowly towards him, small flames flickering out of its mouth at it stared at him.

"Luna Gale!" Death Meramon stagger slightly, caught by surprise by the strike of wind on his back. Erin raised his head slightly, seeing Witchmon floating at the side of the bridge, her cat on her broom along side her. "Aqua Pressure!" A ball of water struck the fire digimon, making a sizzling noise as it did.

"Black War Humon, it's clear! Get out!" Erin watched as Witchmon called to him, waving her hand to him. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself away from the bridge, feeling it quickly giving way and collapsing as he flew out from under it, dropping on Death Meramon, while the assimilated fighter barely escaped. Unfortunately, some of his strength began to give out, hitting the pavement and skidding on his side a few feet.

As Erin began slowly getting his bearings again, he saw Witchmon kneeling next to him, having shifted him onto his back. His left arm still wasn't moving, although his fingers could shift a little. Holding his left arm with his right hand, he slowly started to stand, letting the witch digimon brace him a little as he got to his feet. Looking over at the bridge, the structure was completely destroyed, apparently having buried Death Meramon under it as well.

"What do you think your trying to prove?!" The shorter digimon slapped him on his chest plate, getting a small grunt from the teen. "You can take out a few Adults, and you think you're a big shot who can handle a Perfection?!"

Erin looked down at her for a moment, before glancing at the rubble. "He was a Perfection?"

Witchmon looked at him, completely shocked. "You took on a digimon, without even knowing what level it is? Are you insane?! What if he had been an Ultimate, who was after your coin? What would you have done then, let him spank you like a Child?" She frowned, placing her hands on her hip as she gave a disapproving look at the assimilated fighter. "Oh wait, Death Meramon was already doing that! Hey, what are you doing?"

As the female had been yelling at him, Erin had started slowly walked towards the rubble. As he reached the large pill of concrete, holding his left arm still, he turned his head slightly, seeing Witchmon standing next to him. "Think he survived?"

The witch digimon shrugged, sitting on her broom and floating in the air a little. "No clue. But I think your law enforcement group will be here soon. We should probably get out of here, before they see us."

Noticing the police sirens finally, Erin nodded slightly. "Yea." He poked a one of the rocks, shifting it out of place with his working arm, figuring the digimon should not have been able to survive the crushing blow.

Unfortunately, Erin was proven wrong, and a blaze of flames erupted from the pile, a hand wrapped in fire grabbing him by his throat and picking him up off the ground. He struggled at the grip, trying to pry it off with his working hand, as he watched as Death Meramon emerged from the under the rocks, a few dents and scratches, but seeming to have escaped any major harm.

"Now… Give me the power source. If you cooperate, I'll give you a quick death." The fiery digimon's voice was definitely annoyed, as his grip squeezed tighter, cutting off the teen's air supply.

"Aqua Pressure!" A ball of water struck Death Meramon in the head, pulling his attention from the human in his grip, to the digimon floating a few feet away. Collecting the energy again quickly, Witchmon began calling her attack repeatedly, striking the fire digimon with multiple water balls.

Erin watched the digimon holding him grimace under the assault. Giving a slight grin, a thought came to the teen, who swiftly raised his feet and slammed them both into Death Meramon's chest, freeing him from the death grip. Catching himself before he hit the ground, Erin slammed his good shoulder into the body of the fiery digimon, gritting his teeth again under the heat and pain of his shoulder, as he lifted him off the ground, flying into the air.

"Witchmon, follow me!" He called to the female digimon, as he felt the Perfection digimon slamming his fists on his back, trying to break the hold. Pushing himself as hard as he could, he held on, trying to hold onto his strength.

Witchmon followed right behind Black War Humon, watching as he took the fists to his back, flying through tree branches, seeming to have a plan to his madness. Her eyes went wide as she watched Erin's helmet go static-like for a moment, revealing the human's head, before it solidified again. She blinked a couple times, unsure if she had actually seen the odd sight, when she noticed Erin aiming for a small tower, that she could sense was filled with water.

Erin gave a small grin, as he slammed Death Meramon into the side of the water tower, pushing himself back and out of the angered digimon's reach. Looking to his partner, he pointed at the dent he had made in the tower's side. "Witchmon, break it wide open!"

The witch smiled on her broom, as she caught onto the plan. "Aqua Pressure!" Using her attack differently, she pushed at the water in the tower, forcing it to burst out, hitting Death Meramon in the back and sending him flying to the ground below, as steam rose from his body.

Erin floated above Death Meramon, watching as it slowly got to its feet, the water having weakened it badly. "Maybe next time, you'll listen to me." He swung his good hand behind him, as a small ball of compact energy formed in it. "Terra Destroyer!" He whipped the ball of energy at the digimon, watching the large explosion it caused. As the smoke slowly began to clear, the digimon was nowhere to be seen, but a crater in the ground, and some damage to the school nearby remained from the final attack.

With Death Meramon gone, Erin's strength finally gave out, de-assimilating in the air, Witchmon catching him on her broom keeping the teen from plummeting to the ground. He gave a soft smile at the female digimon, before collapsing into unconsciousness as she held him up.

Witchmon glanced at the place where the Perfection level digimon has stood before being deleted, holding the teen who had destroyed him close to her, to keep him from falling. "Well… It seems someone is getting impatient." Her cat nuzzled the human's hair softly, as she gave a gentle smile. "We better get him home, before someone else shows up." Quickly flying off, the digimon never noticed the figure hiding in the shadows, observing the battle.

**********

Erin groaned softly, as his eyes slowly started to open. His entire body felt like a steamroller had run over him. Finally opening his eyes enough to see, he looked into a pair of larger then normal blue eyes, outlined in black, and a point of black above and below each one. Dirt blond hair framed the concerned face that was watching him, as Witchmon placed her hand partially on his forehead. 

"How are you feeling?" She asked quietly, kneeling next to the teen. He could tell they were in her shed now, and he was lying on the small mat she normally slept on. "I'm amazed you kept up as long as you did. Death Meramon is not a weak Perfect. What made you think of using that tower though?"

Erin gave a weak smile, as he noticed her taking a washcloth, dipping it into a buck filled with water, and placing it on his forehead. "You. After I saw your water attack was hurting him some, I remembered the Beecher water tower. I thought if we could soak him that badly, I might be able to take him out."

She frowned slightly, making the boy grunt slightly as she shifted the bandage around his left arm, making sure it held it in place. "Well, I am surprised it took that much. While very powerful, Death Meramon is not the fastest digimon. I'm surprised you could dance around him constantly." She watched him, resting her hands on her knees.

The brown haired teen shifted slightly, giving a soft sigh before he spoke. "I…I held back. I thought, maybe he was just trying to do a job, that destroying him would make me no better then Boogeymon, or Sabirdramon." He watched the female digimon frown, crossing her arms under her small breasts as she gave him a disapproving look. "But after he almost tore up the bridge with people still on it, I realized I can't simply hold back. He would have killed someone, if I hadn't done something to kill him."

The disapproving look slowly disappeared, replaced with a gentle smile. Witchmon brushed the hair out of the teen's face, nodding slowly. "Well, I'm glad you learned it. Otherwise, I would be paddling you with my broom for being such a moron." She laughed softly, turning to look at the door of the shed. "Come in Jill."

Erin blinked in surprise at the mute girl slipped into the shed, concern blatant on her face as she shut the door and kneeled down next to Witchmon, her hands moving quickly. [Are you all right? What happened? I've been worried sick about you!]

He smiled as he read her hands, stopping them with his working hand. "I'm all right, Jill. Thanks to Witchmon, I came out of it better then I would have." He watched as Jill turned to the female digimon, the two staring at one another for a moment. Erin almost thought he felt something passing between them, before Jill turned back to him, leaning down and hugging him tightly around his neck. Patting her back, he felt the girl sobbing softly into his shoulder.

"She said you need to stop worrying her. She was in a near panic when I left, and worse when I brought you back all beat up." Witchmon smiled softly, running one of her own hands over the young girl's hair, trying to help comfort her, as she clung to the boy.

Erin nodded, content to be smothered for the moment. "Everything's all right, Jill. It's all right now." He held the young girl close to him, stroking her back until he felt her body go limp as she passed out next to him. Before he could move her at all, his own eyes began drooping, as he passed back into unconsciousness.

*********

ToyAgumon ~ Wow, Erin really got his butt handed to him.

Floramon ~ Yep. But he is finally getting break. Well, kind of. Not wanting everyone to know who he is, Erin's got to try and keep his injury a secret. But who is going to take care of his arm, if he won't even go to the hospital? With a pair of special guests coming, there's no telling what could happen! Find out just what does happen, next time in Dark Dairies!


	8. Entry 8 Time to Heal

Dark Diaries

Entry 8 - "Time to Heal."

Written by Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

A/N ~ This chapter has sign language in it, as well as a part of it that is written in the form of a message board. The sign language will be shown with [ - ], and the message board will be seperated from the main text by a *~*~* above and below it. Thank you, and enjoy the fic.

*********

Erin gave a soft yawn, as he felt himself slowly awakening. It felt like he head been asleep for almost a day. Wondering what time it was, he turned his head to the right, opening his eyes to look for a clock.

The boy's eyes flew wide open, as he saw a young blond girl at his side, snuggling up tightly to him. Jill's hair was going everywhere, while her eyes were still a little bit puffy from crying the night before. She pressed herself closer, making a soft noise in her sleep.

As his face started turning a slight crimson, a similar movement on his left side caught his attention. Erin turned his head around, finding Witchmon cuddled onto his other side, with some padding and bandages holding his arm in place as she pressed against him as well. One of her hands was on his shoulder, encompassing it in her palm, while her head lay on the hand. 

Erin squirmed slightly in the sleeping sandwich, trying not to think about how both girls' bodies felt against his, as his face threatened to start glowing red. After a short while, he finally extracted himself from the position, watching as the two girl's cuddled up to one another as they looked for him in their sleep.

Wincing slightly, he slowly began taking some of the bandages off, remembering how Death Meramon's chain had felt when it wrapped around his arm, injuring him when he got whipped into the bridge supports. "Least I can still move it… Hopefully means it isn't broken…" Getting to a minimal amount of bandaging, Erin began changing into another shirt that he assumed Jill had brought out for him, as she watched the young woman and digimon sleep with one another.

Erin bit off a groan, as he tried lifting his arm a little, barely able to lift it before the pain was too much. Testing moving it forward and backwards proved the same. As long as his upper arm stayed still though, he could bend the limp from his elbow. Thankful for small thing, he looked at a small piece of bread that sitting on a plate. Taking it, he almost swallowed it whole, making himself chew it before he gulping it down. The small bit of food did let him know just how hungry he was, as he felt his stomach growl loudly.

The creek of the door caught the teen's attention, bringing his right arm up defensively. He relaxed, as he saw a head of read hair pop in, glancing around for a moment, before they settled on him. Angela's eyes widened, as she burst into the shed, hugging Erin around the waist tightly.

"Oh my god, are you alright? We saw the news, and Jill and me were so worried, and then Witchmon left, and…" Erin cut the young girl off, as she started to rambling, ruffling her hair slightly before kneeling down to her height. 

"I'm fine, Angel. Thanks for worrying though." He smiled slightly, wiping the young girl's cheeks clean of her tears. "So is Ms. K mad I'm a little late for the social worker?"

The red head stared at Erin, confusion showing on her face. "Erin, the social worker came yesterday."

"What?!" The yell woke to two girl's sleeping on the floor. Jill blushed from the compromising position she had been in, while Witchmon darted her head around, as if expecting an attack. They looked over, watching Erin's eyes almost fall out of their sockets as he addresses Angela. "Y...Yesterday…?"

Jill stood up, standing next to Angela, and nodded. [Yes. We told Ms. Klink that you must have been at the attack, and that's what made you late. We didn't know what else to tell her, when she started wondering why you weren't back.]

Leaning against her crate, Witchmon stayed seated on the floor, petting her cat as it curled up in her lap. "That's what happened. When you went to sleep after the fight, you didn't wake up until sometime in the middle of the night. Jill told me to get her attention the minute you woke up, and I did. Then when you two fell asleep, I waited a bit, and went to bed myself." Glancing out the cracked door, Witchmon yawned softly. "Judging by how it looks outside, I'd say you've slept almost an entire day away."

Erin stood in shock as he listened. He'd been asleep for almost twenty-four hours? It almost seemed impossible, as his stomach growled deeply again, wincing slightly from the slight pain he felt from it. As more then a couple questions started running through his head, he decided to deal with his immediate problem. "Is it possible to get some food? Or is Ms. K too pissed at me to sneak me into the kitchen?"

Jill gave a silent giggle. [We will get something, big brother.] She laid her hand on Angela's shoulder, leading the younger girl out of the shed.

Watching the girl's walk out, Erin rubbed lightly at his shoulder, feeling a small amount of pain just from touching it, but not enough to make him stop. He looked over at the lazing digimon, who was purring to her cat, clearing his throat to get his attention. "Ok, care to explain how you and Jill are speaking?"

Witchmon shrugged her shoulder slightly. "I can use minor telepathy. It allows me to communicate with a couple minds within reach of me, but that's about the extent. It's made it much easier to speak with the girl, since I don't know her hand language, and she can't speak."

Erin blinked, as he heard her explanation. "But you said you contacted her when I woke up. That's a lot farther then your reach…"

Witchmon sat up, stretching her arms slightly, pushing her small breasts out slightly. "Well, if I concentrate, I can contact someone a bit of distance away. So, I focused on her while I watched you, and gave her a small warning when you woke up. It's not something I can do easy, but it works." Giving another small shrug, she laid back on the crate, watching the brown haired teen.

Slumping to the ground, Erin winced a little again as the stomach pain came back. "Damn it, why am I so hungry…? Feels like I haven't eaten in days…"

The Adult digimon watched him for a moment, sliding her hands behind her head. After a few minutes of silence, Jill and Angela walked into the room with two large plates of food, partially fruits and vegetables, and the other part junk food.

Erin wasted no time, as the food was set in front of him, digging into it ravenously. Using only his good arm did slow him a little, but part of the food he barely even noticed, nearly swallowing it whole as he shoveled it into his mouth. After a couple minutes, he looked up, glancing at the three pairs of eyes staring at him. Whipping his mouth with his wrist, he felt his cheeks heat up a little, giving an indignant look. "What?"

Witchmon was the first one to speak, as the two humans just stared with their mouths open. "Well, I've never seen anything eat that much since the time I saw a Greymon sit down for lunch. And since I doubt they have seen anything like that, I sincerely doubt it's something else. How often do you eat a couple meals worth in under a minute, Erin?"

The boy blinked, glancing down at the food. He had barely noticed before, but the food was almost completely gone, an apple and a candy bar being all that was left. Reaching down, he started nibbling at the apple, as he thought about what the digimon had said. It was like the first few days after his fight with that Dark Tyranomon. The first couple, he hadn't really noticed anything, but on the third, he had eaten double the amount of breakfast then normal. It had been as if his body was trying to revitalize itself.

Shaking the questioning thoughts away, Erin stood up, finishing the candy bar quickly. "Alright. Come on, you two. Time to face Ms. K." Deciding it was better to deal with it sooner then later, Erin followed the two girls out of the shed and into the house.

*********

Jill rested her head on her arms, sighing softly. All of the children in the orphanage had ended up bring present while Ms. Klink chewed into Erin. The boy had stuck to the story of being caught up in the battle, but that still left him high and dry as to why he hadn't come home. He just barely squeezed out of being completely grounded like before by naming one of his classmates and saying he had run into them and stayed the night. However, he had been given extra duties around the house for a couple days, for forgetting to call and tell the orphan's caretaker.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Jill sighed softly. She didn't have much to do, with Erin doing her normal housework. Angela had taken the digimon in their shed some food for lunch, which now meant there was nothing really for her to do. 

Walking to her door, the young pre-teen looked out her door, seeing no one in the hallway. Tiptoeing down the hall, she gave a second glance, before slipping into Erin's room. She remembered the teen telling her about the CD he had been given when he had met other children who knew about the digimon, and she needed to find something out.

Jill shifted a couple of the boy's clothing drawers, before she found what she was looking for. Pulling out a small CD case, she opened it, seeing a colorful CD as well as a small post-it note with an e-mail address and Selene's name written on it. She giggled, assuming she was right in her big sister's name being Erin's password.

Slipping the CD case into the back of her shorts, she walked back out of the room, giving a quick glance to make sure no one saw her. Walking downstairs, she peeked in the kitchen, seeing Erin still washing dishes, and slipped by quickly.

Walking into the living room, she found Ms. Klink sitting with Mary, the young red head leaning against her elder. Moving behind the pair, she glanced at what was playing on the television.

"Reports are still coming in, as we look on at the damage of the latest monster attack." The female reporter moved to the side slightly, showing the destroyed bridge behind her. "We have also confirmed the destruction to the Beecher water tower, the damage showing that the water had burst out of the tower's side, and a crater being found behind the elementary school the tower is next to, with some minor damage to the school itself. The police have given their assurance that the incidents will be taken care of. Thankfully however, no one was killed in this incident. This is…"

Jill ignored the woman, as she tapped her caretaker's should softly, gaining her attention. [May I go on the Internet, Miss? I would like to look something up for a summer project I was given.] 

Beverly nodded to her young ward, letting the young girl walk off, as she stroked Mary's hair softly. The young girl had fallen asleep early in the news cast. Picking the nine-year-old in her arms, she walked up the stairs, to let her take a nap.

*********

Jill sat down at the computer, waiting patiently as it booted up. She looked at the computer disc, remembering a little of what Erin had learned from the disc, and hoping it could help her find an answer to her current problem.

The young girl knew about Erin's injured left arm, and since he had woken up, it was still barely moving. Although he had somehow been able to hide how badly it was hurt from Ms. Klink, she knew he could not keep it a secret for long. Even when he had been doing the dishes, he had been struggling whenever he had to move his arm.

Jill jumped slightly, as she felt something brush her leg. Looking down, Witchmon's cat rubbed against her leg, purring deeply, before leaping up into her lap. She smiled sweetly, petting the feline a few moments, before the cat jumped onto the desk, sitting next to keyboard. Jill smiled as she watched the cat lick its paw, cleaning its fur.

As the computer finished loading, Jill slid the CD into the drive, watching curiously as she let it load. After a moment, a program opened, showing a place to type in an e-mail address and a password. Using the post-it in the case, Jill's assumption proved right, as she logged herself into Erin's account.

Jill blinked, as she noticed the large amount of e-mail sitting in the account's inbox. She didn't think Erin had checked it once since he had opened it. Closing the e-mail, she clicked a link, opening the message board Erin had mentioned, looking at some of the recent posts. A few she didn't understand, although one about teen pregnancy made her cheeks blush a little. But that wasn't what she was here for. Opening a new topic, she began typing…

*~*~*

Message: Medical Assistance!

User: Erin Storm

Title: N/A

Location: Mt. Morris, MI, USA

Digimon: N/A

Timer: 06-18-04 17:02:15 GMT

Hello. I'm a friend of Erin's. I apologize for using this message board without permission, but I could not think of anywhere else to try and find help. Erin was in another fight yesterday, and hurt his arm very badly. However, he refuses to admit to our caretaker how badly he is hurt, from fear of someone in the hospital putting together his injuries and his fight. Is there anything I can do? I'll be online for a while, so I'll be watching in hopes of seeing something before I leave. Thank you!

*~*~*

Posting the message, she hoped she didn't get Erin in trouble for this. If he hadn't been so stubborn about not telling anyone when they had walked into the house, she wouldn't have been forced to take this measure. So he would have to deal with it, like he was the dishes. Smiling softly to herself, she shrunk the window, waiting patiently to for a reply.

While she waited, she explored the information portion of the disc, reading through the different kinds of digimon there were, as well as trying to understand what a Digi-Destined was. After an hour of learning, she switched windows again, to check on her post. She was surprised that there were already a few responses, for such a short period of time, but began reading them quickly.

*~*~*

Message: Re: Medical Assistance!

User: Emily Tatum

Location: Detroit, MI, USA

Digimon: Tsukaimon - Airdramon

Time: 06-18-04 17:26:17 GMT

How was Erin's injured? I can see why he wouldn't want his identity known. But how did you access his account?

-------------

Message: Re: Medical Assistance!

User: Jade Thompson

Title: Power of the Star

Location: Melborne, Florida, USA

Digimon: Hagurumon - Starmon - Super Starmon

Time: 06-18-04 17:30:45 GMT

Isn't that the name of the boy who turns into a digimon, north of you Emily?

By the way, just how DID you access his account?

--------------

Message: Re: Medical Assistance!

User: Greg Jones

Location: Detroit, MI, USA

Digimon: Gomamon - Frogmon

Time: 06-18-04 17:35:23 GMT

Just who are you anyway? No one should be able to simply 'get on' someone else's account. Why should we believe that guy's even hurt, from someone who shouldn't even be on here?

*~*~*

Jill blushed a little, frowning slightly to herself. From the sounds of the responses, it was clearer she was definitely not supposed to have gotten on his account. And that last message was calling her a liar! Just as she was about to respond, to try and convince them she wasn't lying about Erin, the page refreshed, showing another message.

*~*~*

Message: Re: Medical Assistance!

User: Mimi Tachikawa

Title: 

Location: New York, New York, USA

Digimon: [Yuramon, Tanemon, Palmon, Togemon, Lillymon]

Time 06-18-04 17:39:14 GMT

I would like to know who you are myself, but Erin getting better is more important. :) Send me an E-mail from where you are, and I'll gate to you with help. And tell Erin he owes me one for interrupting my date for this. ^_^

*~*~*

Jill's eyes went, grinning widely. Someone was willing to help! Quickly clicking the link, she typed a small salutation and sent the mail along. Petting the purring feline, the mute girl blinked when she saw a small program open on the computer. It looked like something out of a sci-fi movie, before she noticed the small video screen in it. Leaning in closer, she saw a girl with brown hair on the other side of it, waving at her.

"Hello there!" Jill blinked as she heard the girl talking through the computer. "Would you mind getting your cat and moving away from the computer, please?"

Nodded numbly, she picked up the cat and moved to the other side of the room, away from the computer. She stared in surprise as she watched the computer screen flash a bright light. As she blinked the light out of her eyes, she noticed the two figures standing in front of the computer.

Next to the computer desk, stood a tall man, looking little older then Brian. He had dark blue hair that was combed down the middle, and had a pair of glasses on his face. Wearing a relaxed, button up shit and a pair of jeans, he smiled softly to her, before helping the girl sit in the computer chair.

"Oww… I still need to get used to that…" She smiled sweetly, as she took a seat. Her brown hair lay draped over shoulders, with a purple-ish pink cowboy hat hanging behind her head, as well as two small pigtails in the sides of her hair. She was wearing a pink tank top, with a pair of jean sleeves going down each arm, looping around her middle fingers. Her mini-skirt was made of the same material as her sleeves, reaching her mid-thigh and her shins and feet had a pair of white stockings and heeled cowgirl boots.

Mimi tilted her head, looking Jill over a second, still smiling. "So you're the one who found a way onto the message board?" she stood, wincing slightly as she stepped forward, extending her hand. "Mimi Tachikawa. Nice to meet you."

Jill stared a moment, shaking the older girls hand, while holding the cat to her chest with her other arm. She nodded her head, smiling softly.

Mimi waited a moment, wondering why the girl wasn't introducing herself. "Oh, this is my boyfriend, Jyou Kido."

Jyou stepped up next to Mimi, shaking the girl's hand. "Nice to meet you." His accent was very noticeable, next to Mimi's almost non-existent one. 

Jill giggled silently, smiling brightly. Setting the cat on her shoulder, she motioned her hands slowly for the two. [My name is Jill. Nice to meet you too.] 

Both of the older teens frowned at one another, before Jyou turned to the girl, and moving his hands slowly in response. [Hello.]

Jill giggled softly, seeing the pair did not know sign language as well as she would have hoped. Taking a piece of paper, she wrote the greeting, giving it to the older boy.

The tall boy read the words, giving her a gentle smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jill." Handing the note to Mimi, he turned to the blond. "So where is Erin? I should look him over, before our being here causes any trouble."

Jill nodded, walking to the door, and waiting for the two to follow her. Glancing out of the room, she made sure no one was around before waving to follow her, and walking quietly down the hall. As the trio walked down the hallway towards the kitchen, Jill kept an eye out, being more then a little paranoid about being found with strangers in the house.

As they stepped into the kitchen, Erin's back was to the doorway, scrubbing away at the inside of the refrigerator. Jill motioned for the pair to hang back a second, slowly walking towards her friend.

"Brian, for the last time…. Leave me al…" Erin spun around, eyes glowing a dark red as he glared. He blinked as Jill stared at him in surprised, giving a sheepish grin. "Heh… Sorry Jill. I thought Brian came back to pester me."

Jill didn't move her hands, walking forward, cupping the brown haired teen's cheeks, staring in his eyes. She watched Erin's cheeks blush a little, before she pulled her hands away. [I got someone to check on your arm.] She moved to the side, letting him see the pair of Japanese teenagers.

Erin stood up, smiling softly, his left arm still not moving much as he set the washrag he had been scrubbing with. "Mimi, it's nice to see you again." He blinked a minute as he looked at the pair, before looking over to Jill. "Wait a minute… How did you get a hold of Mimi?" He arched a brow as he asked.

Jill gave a sweet grin. [Time for your examination, big brother!] She grabbed his good arm, dragging him forward.

Mimi smiled, watching the two go back and forth. "It's nice to see you again, Erin. This is my boyfriend, Jyou Kido. He's here to help fix you up." 

Jyou extended his hand, nodding. "Nice to meet you, Erin." He shook the American's hand, adjusting his glasses. "Do you have someplace where we can sit down?"

Erin looked up to the taller teen, nodding. "I know just the place. Just follow me, alright?"

**********

ToyAgumon ~ Wow a guest star from two of the original characters!

Floramon ~ *laughs softly* Yep. As Erin gets his examination, the girl's sit down for a nice chat. And we get a small glimpse into Erin's past. Stay tooned for the next, Dark Dairies!

A/N ~ The characters from the message board -Emily Tatem, Jade Thompson, and Greg Jones- are all American Digi-destined. Emily and Greg are part of the Detroit team (As everyone should know by know, from chapter 4/5) and are Archive and/or Toai's creations, while Jade is a member of the Florida team, who was created by Shaun Garin.


	9. Entry 9 Present and Past

Dark Diaries

Entry 9 "Present and Past"

Written by Rocker Starlight

Permission given by Lord Archive

A/N ~ This chapter will contain speech in a foreign language (Japanese), as well as sign language. Sign language, as always, is shown by the [ - ] around it, and the foreign language will be shown by someone talking within - . Hope you enjoy this chapter. ^_^

**********

Erin winced, as Jyou examined his arm, sitting on the crate in Witchmon's shed. He watched as the hands pressed around his arm, checking various spots on it.

"So tell me, Erin. Are your eyes always red?" Jyou glanced up at his patient, never stopping his check up.

Erin blinked, as he finally realized what had happened. Closing his eyes, he de-fused, opening his right hand to reveal the small black coin. As the energy left his body, he grunted, wincing worse as he felt the pain in his arm shoot through him.

Jyou blinked at the sudden reaction, stopping his hands. He looked at the now amber eyes, glancing at the black coin in the boy's hand. "I take it that's what lets you change?" Continuing, he starting touching much softer, to discern the damaged muscles.

Erin's face was still wincing a little, but not as bad, as he held his arm out. "Yes." He stared at the coin, frowning slightly, trying to ignore his arm.

Letting the arm go, the Chosen of Reliability glanced at the coin in the boy's hand. "Well, I must say, from how you described the fight you were in, I'm amazed your arm is this well healed already. Digimon normally do heal faster then humans, so since you seem to turn into one, it's an open possibility that you have an accelerated healing process, at when your in a state that is closer to being part digimon. Does it hurt as bad in your other forms?"

Looking up from the coin, Erin nodded numbly. "No, actually… Before I realized I was fused, I hadn't registered the pain as bad, or that my arm could move better." He stared at the limb, quite surprised.

Smiling softly, Jyou nodded. "Try going back to how you were when we got here."

Erin nodded, clutching the coin in his hand. "Coin fusion." Opening his eyes, the soft red glow had returned. Looking at his arm, he flexed it a little, wincing slightly, but the pain not as bad as it had been.

Jyou nodded, taking a step back. "Can you turn into your digimon form?"

Looking up at the Chosen, he nodded, standing up. Taking a deep breath, he clenched his hands tightly, letting his eyes shut. "Digital Assimilation."

Jyou stared in awe as he watched the purple glow surround the American, giving way to Erin's assimilated form. The Japanese chosen was more then a little startled, seeing the Black War Greymon armor on the teenager, and stepped forward to start checking the injured arm.

Black War Humon glanced over, noticing he was standing almost eye to eye with the foreigner, glancing over as he felt the hands touching his arm again. Taking the gauntlet off with his right hand, he barely even felt any pain now when his left arm moved.

Amazing… The damage is reduced greatly now… Jyou spoke softly, not realizing he was talking in Japanese.

Then, should I stay like this for awhile? Erin asked back, his duel voices speaking Japanese perfectly.

The statement caught Jyou completely off guard. You can speak Japanese?

Erin tilts his head slightly. Japa… He paused, as the realization hit him. Not only could he understand the language, but also he was speaking it without trying. I… I guess I can.

Lowering the assimilated teen's arm, Jyou nodded. I take it you have never spoken Japanese before, or taken a class? At the teen's headshake, he nodded himself. Another thing for Koushiro to ponder. By the way, it looks like your being in your digimon form had accelerated your healing. If you stay like this for about twenty more minutes, your body should be fully healed. Although judging from every digimon that I've met, your appetite should be very strong. He smiled, as he took a seat on another crate.

Removing his other gauntlet and the shield on his back, Erin simply nodded, setting down on the floor. It's normal to have the sudden surge in hunger? His voices still speaking in Japanese.

Jyou laughed softly. It is common. Often after evolution, or when trying to heal an especially bad injury, digimon are very hungry, to try and make up for energy being used. I take it you've had that problem too?

Erin nodded, understanding a little more. Glancing at the door, he sighed softly. Wonder what the girl's are up to?

Rubbing the back of his head, Jyou laughed a little more. Probably just relaxing. Although knowing Mimi, there's no way to know…

**********

Jill laughed silently, as Mimi, Witchmon, and herself sat in her room, talking. While Jyou had begun examining Erin, the mute girl had taken the other two to her room, to leave the boys alone. After looking over the twelve-year-old's room for a few minutes, Mimi had gone right into asking how she had gotten on the message board. With answering questions in the middle, as well as using Witchmon as a translator, it took almost ten minutes to get through the explanation.

Mimi crossed her legs, tapping her lips softly as she thought. "So then, you don't have a digivice, but this cute little neko was with you?" Petting the cat next to her, she watched Jill quietly.

The blond nodded, smiling softly at the little cat, as she passed another message on to Witchmon.

Witchmon laughed softly, as she heard the mental comment. "She says if she is in trouble for this, she's willing to accept the punishment, since it was for Erin's health." Floating near one end of the bed, she gave the girl a soft smile. "After all, she would do anything for her 'Big brother'" she exaggerated the last words blatantly.

Mimi laughed, as she watched the mute girl whip a pillow at the digimon. "Well, I can't say how happy some of the other kids are about this, not to mention, until I tell Koushiro that you had this little kitty with you, He's probably going to be pulling his hair out, unless Ayashi can calm him down."

Jill turned her head curiously to the older chosen, giggling as the black cat began batting at Mimi's hand playfully.

Laying her cowgirl hat on the feline, watching it jump a little, Mimi smiled at the young blond. "It should be alright. Although you really shouldn't get on it again, I'm glad you did, so Jyou and I could come and visit Erin." 

Jill nodded, giving a silent giggle at the cat under the hat.

Watching the two humans play with her feline companion, Witchmon smirked softly. "Jill, would you mind getting us some drinks? I'm feeling a little parched." 

The mute girl smiled, nodding to her digimon friend. Standing up, Jill bowed politely, before leaving the room, not quite closing the door completely.

Witchmon glanced over, noticing Mimi was already looking at her. "Yes?"

Mimi smiled back at the digimon, before removing her hat from over the feline. "I assumed you wanted to talk to me about something? Obviously something you do not want Jill to hear."

Giving a small smirk, the witch digimon shrugged her shoulder slightly. "Actually yes. I was curious why you've been acting so careful about how you move? Your boyfriend too rough on ya?"

Laughter was the response the Chosen of Purity gave, as she heard the question. "Actually, he takes a little bit of convincing to be like that." Her smile faded a bit, giving her face a somber look. "Actually, my team in New York was in a fight recently, with a team of dark chosen. We didn't exactly win in the end, and right now I have the bruises to show for it." She shifted a little on the bed. "And one of them isn't exactly someplace comfortable."

Nodded at her answer, Witchmon reached into her cloak, a sound of rummaging coming from inside the cloth. "Now where is it… I know it's in here… Ah ha!" Pulling her large hand out, she produced a small container with a flower shape on the top. "I have one of these spare, so if you would like, you can have it. Consider it exchange for helping Erin."

Taking the small container, Mimi looked at it curiously, before looking back to the Adult digimon. "I won't take it in exchange for helping a friend. I'm more then happy I could bring Jyou to help him."

Witchmon shrugged her shoulder slightly. "Then consider it a simple gift. It's a healing salve I picked up in Witchelny, before I left. It's helped me when I've been through a scrap or two before, although the side effects can be frustrating at times…" Her cheeks actually gained a small tint to them.

Mimi quirked her brow, as she glanced suspiciously at the container in her hand. "Side effects?" 

Witchmon nodded. "Yep. Another Witchmon with a slightly twisted sense of humor makes the salves. One of a couple potion recipies from a Lillymon she knew once. One of the ingredients in the salve acts as a small aphrodisiac." Grinning sheepishly, the young witch scratched the back of her head. "Considering some of the idiots I've met, I'm glad I have a broom most of the time, so I can rid myself of the problems that causes quickly."

Mimi's cheeks blushed a little, as she laughed softly. "Oh really? Anything else I should know?"

"Yep. Simple suggestion of leaving yourself a good couple hours to yourself or with your mate, when you try it. I have no idea how it might effect a human, so better to make sure you won't be interrupted for quite some time" Witchmon gave a big grin at the comment. "And if you want, let your mate use some himself, that way, if it does to you what it does too me, he can keep up with you."

Both girls laughed, as Mimi set the salve aside, adjusting one of her sleeves, and letting Witchmon get a glimpse of another bruise. Mimi looked over to the digimon, as she slide one sleeve to her wrist, rubbing at a couple smaller bruises. "So tell me why you're here? It's not often a digimon without a partner stays in the real world."

Witchmon paused as she was about to answer, before giving a soft chuckle, hearing footsteps quickly walking away from the door. 'Seems someone else saw through my excuse to talk…' "Well, I was assigned by Lord Mystimon, of Witchelny, to find a dark power source around this area of the real world. Unfortunately, I was also partnered with a pain in the rear Boogeymon, who acted like scaring humans was the only reason he came."

Mimi frowned softly. "I take it he is no longer around…?" She asked hesitantly.

Witchmon gave a quick nod. "Oh yea. Erin made quick work out of him, when the stupid demon was enough of a moron to threaten the people he lives with. Of course, then I was technically a captive… But that changed when my 'rescue party' came…" she frowned slightly, before going into the details about FlaWizarmon and Dokugumon's visit.

Mimi sighed softly, nodding. "Well, I'm glad no one was hurt. I see Jill has taken to this rather easily, but what about the other girl, Angela?"

The female digimon laughed a little more. "Oh, she's fine now. She was scared of Dokugumon, but she had good reason. But evidently, Erin told her he was watching them, and since then, she's seemed all right. She even comes out with Jill to visit me sometimes during the day." 

Jill opened the door, holding three glasses of water, although a slight blush was in her cheeks. She passed the glasses around, sipping hers as she sat at her desk again, looking a little shyer then she had before.

Mimi giggled softly, noticing the girl's actions, as she took a drink of the cold liquid. "So, any guys you're interested in, Jill?"

Witchmon laughed louder, as she watched her human friend's cheeks turned a darker red, knowing the color might grow deeper quickly.

**********

Erin sighed softly, having shifted back to being normal again, holding the coin in his hand. The time had been spent in relative silence as teens waited patiently. He smiled softly, as he moved his left arm, a small amount of stiffness being the only reminder of the injuries of before.

Jyou gave a soft smile, as he watched the American stretch and rotate his arm. "So how long have you been here?"

Erin glanced over at his elder, shrugging slightly as he leaned back against the crate. "Eight years. My parents died in a car crash, and I got put here when none of my family could be found. I was a wreck for the first year, even bit a therapists head off…" He mumbled something under his breath.

Jyou gave a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry to hear that. But you seem fairly well now. What change it back then?"

Erin gave a cynical chuckle at the comment, before he answer. "Selene. She was another orphan, who was put here a little over a year after I first came. Ms. Klink, our caretaker, said her family had simply abandoned her, disappearing with a trace. When she first came here, I…" He shook his head slightly. "Never mind, you'll think I'm being an idiot."

Jyou smiled at the boy, slipping down to sit on the floor in front of his crate, so he was eye to eye with the brown haired teen. "Trust me, with everything I've seen since being a Chosen, it would take doing something truly deserving, to make me think someone's an idiot. And I have yet to see anyone do something that stupid, although I know a few friend who have come close in their time." Both of them laughed softly, before Kido continued. "So please, go ahead. I'd like to know."

Erin nodded, smiling a little more. "All right. Well, before Selene had come, I had a lot of trouble, like I said. I was really depressed, and I always had this painful feeling in my heart." Erin wrinkles his nose in annoyance slightly. "The quack said I was repressing my pain of my parent's death, that he could help me, if I let him. But then, he turned around, and wouldn't believe a thing I said, saying I was making it all up to cover up how I really felt."

"Well anyway, I had that pain constantly, after my parents death. Ms. Klink even took me to a doctor and gave me a check up, and they didn't find anything wrong physically. But the first time I met Selene, the pain just… well, it lessened. It became a lot more tolerable. Over her first couple of months here, I helped Ms. K whenever I could when it involved her, just wanting to be around her so the pain wasn't so bad, you know? But slowly, we started opening up to each other, and started being friends. Heh, I still remember the first true conversation we had…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erin and Selene sat on a large rock, sitting in a small field near the orphanage. It was summer time, so the pair of eight-year-olds were aloud to stay out until nighttime. It was getting close though, as the sun slowly started to set into the clouds on the horizon, bathing the pair in a red light.

Selene sat with her knees to her chest, watching the sunset quietly, occasionally glancing over at her new friend. Erin's hair was cut short, almost spiky, although it was more of a mess then anything. He was even wearing the T-shirt she had pointed out the last time Ms. Klink had taken all the children to the store for clothes.

"Have you ever kissed someone?"

Erin blinked as the quiet girl spoke, tilting his head curiously. "Kissed my mom sometimes."

The oriental girl giggled softly at the answer, still speaking in a soft tone. "No silly. I dun mean your mom and dad. I mean like a girl."

The boy wrinkled his nose slightly. "Eww, why would I wanna do that?"

Selene gave a cute pout. "What's wrong with it? Your mom was a girl, after all."

"Yea, but that's different." Erin turned slightly, facing the girl, and sitting Indian style. "She was my mom." He sounded as if it were a simple answer.

Sighing softly, Selene laid her head on her knees, still facing the boy. "Well, what's wrong with kissing a girl though?" Her hair fell in her face slightly, although she didn't seem to notice it.

Erin tilted his head again, still curiously looking at the girl. "I dun know… some of the boys at school had said girl's have cooties, and you could get 'em if you let a girl kiss you."

Selene arched her brow slightly. "Were these the same boys who also ran around, trying to pull girl's pants down and peek at their undies?" She gave a small sigh of exasperation as she saw the boy nod. "Well, do you think girls have cooties?"

Erin looked into the girl's ice blue eyes, staring a minute, before he shrugged slightly. "Probably not. Why ya askin' anyway?"

Selene gave a soft smile, as she sat up straight, turning to face the young boy, before they both heard the voice of their caretaker, calling for them to come home. She pouted slightly, as they slipped off the rock, starting to walk back in the dusk light. "You really wanna know, Erin?" She asked as they walked away from the rock.

Erin looked at the girl, wondering why her cheeks were red. Maybe she had a fever? "Yea, why were ya askin' if I ever kissed anyone?"

Selene giggled, stopping in front of the boy to halt him, and smiling sweetly. "Just wanted to know if I'd be your first." Before the boy could say anything, she leaned forward, kissing him softly on the lips. As she leaned back, her cheeks a little darker, while Erin rubbed his arm at his lips.

The pair of kids quickly started running for the orphanage after that, Selene in the lead and giggling for the first time since she had come to the orphanage, with a fussy Erin tailing behind her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erin's cheeks were a little red, as he touched his lips. "It wasn't until a couple years ago, that I realized she was my first kiss. Although I did get even, making Ms. K think Selene had a fever since her cheeks were so red, and getting her stuck to her room for an entire day because of it. Of course, I honestly thought she had a fever, at the time…" He laughed softly at the memory.

Jyou was laughing a little himself, as he listened to the boy reminisce about his past. It seemed like Erin had a similar relationship to Takeru and Hikari, at least in the point of being very close at such a young age. "So, would it be ok if we met her? I know Mimi would love to."

Erin's smile faded, his expression going melancholy at the question. "She's not here anymore… She was adopted in May, by a family in California." His head drooped slightly, as his depression washed over him again.

Jyou rubbed the back of his head, as he watched Erin's mood drop. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up something painful…"

Erin looked up, giving a weak smile. "No problem. It's not your fault, after all. Besides, I still keep in touch by e-mail, when she has time to respond."

Jyou nodded, deciding to let the subject drop. He glanced at the door, arching a brow, thinking he heard a small noise. He stood up, motioning for Erin to be quiet when the teen looked at him, before tiptoeing over to the door. As he swung it open quickly, Mimi, Jill, and Witchmon all fell into the room, with Witchmon's cat sitting on top of the pile.

The Chosen of Reliability arched his brow slightly at the sight, while Erin simply blinked in surprised. The trio of girls all seemed to be blushing slightly, as they stood up. Witchmon walking to one of the back corners and hung her hat and cloak, trying to ignore the blush in her cheeks completely. Jill looked down in embarrassment, standing a little behind the older girl, while Mimi gave a sheepish grin.

"Sorry… We were coming to see what you boys were up to, but when we heard you reminiscing, we didn't want to interrupt." She let her hand graze Jyou's, as she walked over to Erin, kissing him softly on the forehead. "And I think it's sweet you still remember your first kiss." She smiled a bit more, as she watched the teen blush worse then all of the girls. "And I would bet money she still remembers it too." She winked, as she walked back to her boyfriend, slipping her arm around his.

"Well, since I don't think were needed anymore, want to head back and try and salvage our date?" She smiled sweetly at the other Chosen.

Jyou laughed softly, nodding. "Sounds like a plan." He turned back to Erin. "Mind showing us where the computer is again?"

Erin laughed softly, as he stood up. "Sure." He walked to the doorway, turning his head slightly. "Night, Witchmon."

Jill waved as the four started heading out, while Mimi gave the digimon a wink. "Thanks for the salve too. I'll see if I can find out if it works for humans too." All three girls laughed at the slight double meaning, while Erin and Jyou both exchanged confused looks, giving a shrug as they decided not to even ask.

As they walked into the house, Erin lead the small group past the living room quickly, hearing the TV on, meaning someone was still awake. As they walked into Ms. Klink's office, the teen blinked as he saw the Digimon CD Mimi had given him sitting in its case, with a small note attacked to it.

'Erin, even if it doesn't have anything on it, please take your disc out the next time you use the computer.' The note was signed Ms. Klink.

After reading the note, Erin glanced back at Jill, arching his brow, as he watched the young girl try and hide behind the couple. Shaking his head softly, he moved the mouse, bringing the computer out of screen saver mode, and putting the CD back in. 

Jyou stepped forward, as Erin moved to the side, signing himself into his account. After leaving a post, on the now long number of responses to Jill's original post, saying everything was taken care of now, he sent an e-mail to Koushiro, explaining what had happened, as Mimi filled in the blanks for him.

Sending the e-mail off, Jyou looked over, seeing Jill standing next to Erin now, as they waited patiently. "Well, it's been a pleasure to meet you both. I hope we can talk again under more normal circumstances next time."

Mimi smiled, walking over to the pair, bowing politely to each of them. "And remember to e-mail us sometime, Erin! You're a friend, and it helps to know what's going on with friends, you know?" She smiles sweetly. "And besides, if you don't, I'll have to bring some of my team with me, and make you join a simple game of Truth and Dare." She placed her cowgirl hat on, smiling sweetly.

Erin and Jill exchanged a confused look, as Jyou laughed nervously, patting Mimi's shoulder. "Come on, its time to go." Mimi gave a playful pout, as she stepped backwards, while Jyou opened the digi-port program. After typing in where they had originally been, the pair waved, soon disappearing in another flash of light.

Erin looked down at the blushing blond, ruffling her hair playfully. He chuckled, closing the program and getting his disc, shutting the computer down finally. "Don't worry about it, alright Jill?" He smiled softly at the girl, as she glanced up at him.

[Really? You are not upset?] She moved her hands slowly, still nervous about this.

Standing up, Erin answered her by wrapping his arms around her and giving her a tender hug. As the younger girl began hugging him back, her stroked her hair softly. "I was a little, but I'm not anymore. After all, it all worked out in the end. But that doesn't mean you're allowed to go on there anymore." Leaving one arm around her shoulder, he slowly started walking Jill out of the office. "I doubt Koushiro would be happy with that, since he's the guy who runs it."

Jill giggled silently, hugging Erin a little tighter around the waist, as he walked her to her room. As they stood at the doorway, Jill slipped out of the hug slightly, looking up at him, before pulling her hands free to speak. [Do you think sister is all right, big brother?]

Erin gave the girl a gentle smile, rubbing the top of her head softly. "I hope so. I think she would have said if something was wrong, in her e-mails though. Right?"

The mute girl nodded, giving a full smile again. Wrapping her arms around Erin's neck, she pulled his head towards her as she leaned up, giving him a soft kiss on the lips. Pulling back, she covered her mouth, giggling harder, although the lack of sound made it look a little different. [Good night!] Jill slipped into her room, shutting the door quickly.

Erin stared at the door, completely in shock, as his finger touched his lips again. Rubbing his head, he gave himself a small laugh, remembering what Jill had said about watching him for Selene, as he walked to his room.

At the end of the hallway, Brian watched the younger boy walk to his own room, glaring at him. Walking back downstairs, the jock went to the telephone in the kitchen, dialing a number he had seen on TV just the other day. "Hello? Yes, I'd like to speak with someone in charge please?"

*********

Floramon ~ Well, seems someone is quite active in the late hours. But with his day of relaxing in, and his arm healed, is Erin truly read for the challenges ahead of him? Find out next time, in Dark Diaries!

A/N ~ Curious about the Dark Seed Chosen fighting the New York team? Well head over to Lord Archive's section of stories, his new story Dark Seed Chosen will explain what happened to Mimi.


	10. Entry 10 Times of Change

Jill yawned softly, as she walked down the stairs wearing her pink pajama top and shorts. Her dreams had been a bit erratic over the last couple of nights, making her wake up early every time, a good hour before anyone else.

Drinking a glass of milk, she thought about the last dream she had been having. She was still a little surprised at the things she had been thinking about, since her talk with Ms. Klink. Her thoughts had gotten away with her on more then one occasion, imagining outrageous scenarios between herself and Erin, getting a bit more and more in depth. The dream just before she had woken up had left her blushing rather badly.

Glancing at the clock, she sighed to herself, as she set the glass in the sink. Walking to the doorway, a small noise caught her attention, from the living room. No one was normally up at this time of the morning, not even Ms. Klink. Walking quietly, she was a bit surprised when she thought she heard a male voice that was completely unfamiliar. Frowning slightly, she hid around the corner by the front, listening quietly.

"So, you're sure you can provide him?" The voice was very unfriendly, gruff sounding.

"No problem. I can come up with some story to bring him." Brian's voice made the girl jump slightly in surprise. 

"Good. We'll contact you today with the plans then." She peeked around the corner slightly, barely seeing the back of Brian's blond head, with a taller man, dark hair and a beard giving him an unpleasant appearance. He glanced around slightly. "You sure no one knows about this?"

Brian's head gave a cocky turn as he spoke. "No one. I'll bring your guest of honor. Just keep up your part of the bargain."

Jill was about to sneak away, when a hand covered her mouth, pressing her against the wall. Her dark blue stared in fear at the masked man holding her against the wall, the dark eyes staring back at her.

"Then you should check around more, kid." The man pulled Jill around, holding her in front of him, walking out from around the corner.

Brian turned around, frowning deeply as he saw the mute girl being held by the other adult. "She's got nothing to do with this."

"On the contrary… This works perfectly..." The first man spoke, a smirk forming on his lips as he watched the scared girl.

***********

Dark Diaries

Entry 10 "Times of change"

Written by Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

***********

Erin yawned, as he sat up in his bed. He still felt a little tired, even if he hadn't done anything major since the fight with Death Meramon. Sitting up, he stretched his muscles, leisurely taking his time, as he sat on his bed. Besides seeing Mimi again, as well as meeting her boyfriend Jyou, things had been relatively quiet for the week.

Grumbling, as he stood up and began rummaging through his clothes, he could think of one thing that had been abnormal of late. Over the last week, Brian had begun almost intolerable to live with. Before, his insults were minor and petty, fairly easy to ignore, but they had shifted recently. Now, they had almost a violent and angry tone to them. He would go out of his way just to run his shoulder into Erin's, even threatening him vaguely the day he had taken Jill's kitchen duties as punishment.

'You should just leave. You're nothing but a freak you know, nothing like us. If you don't want something to happen, you should leave now, and never come back.' Erin frowned, pulling his T-shirt and jeans on, as he remembers the words. He couldn't think of anything that he had done to suddenly cause this kind of a reaction. Glancing at the clock, the thoughts exited his mind, realizing that it was four hours after breakfast should have been made. Quickly running down the stairs, he stopped as he hit the bottom, wondering to himself why no one had woken him up, like normal.

Walking through the kitchen and dining room, he frown returned, before moving into the living room. Sitting on the couch, was Beverly Klink, a worried expression on her face, not noticing Erin's presence. She stared at the table silently, her hands together under her chin, as if she was in deep thought.

Clearing his throat softly, Erin watched the worried expression disappear, replaced with a look of calmness. "Oh Erin, good morning. I'm sorry I didn't wake you for breakfast…"

Erin sat in one of the recliners, shrugging slightly. "No problem, Ms. K. Why didn't anyone wake me for setting the table though?"

Beverly's expression flashed the worried look for a moment again, just long enough for Erin to notice, before she spoke again. "Oh, well, I thought you could use a day off, since you've been working so hard lately. I was wondering though, have you seen Jill or Brian this morning, by any chance?"

Erin held his face neutrally, keeping the frown from returning again. "No, ma'am. I haven't seen either one since last night. Why, is something wrong?"

The caretaker waved her hand, pushing the question aside as she stood up. "Oh, it's probably nothing Erin. Go ahead and make yourself some breakfast, I already tended to the young children." She walked out quickly, ending the conversation.

Erin watched the retreating adult, the frown deepening on his face as he went about getting himself breakfast. 'Why would Ms. Klink be so worried about those two? And why wouldn't she talk about it at all…' As he threw together a couple sandwiches, he grabbed a can of pop, and decided to see about getting some answers for himself.

***********

Having looked through Jill and Brian's rooms, Erin walked out to the tool shed in a less the chipper mood. His own search for answers had led him to absolutely nothing, making him quite frustrated. So, he felt it was time to try and look for a bit of assistance in his small quest.

Opening the shed door, Erin's eyes flew open. Sitting on the floor, were all three of the younger orphans, watching Witchmon, who was sitting on a crate without her cloak and hat. The Adult digimon had a small ball of water between her hands, making it shift and move into different shapes, bringing applause from the children as they watched the small show.

Erin groaned softly in annoyance, as he shut the door behind him, loud enough to get everyone's attention. Darien barely glanced away from Witchmon, giving the older teen a wide-eyed look of amazement. Angela was grinning, clapping at the show, as she smiled as Erin. Her twin, Mary, was blushing and looking down in embarrassment, holding her hands in her lap, as she looked up slightly at him.

Witchmon, however, gave a sweet smile. "Well good morning, Mr. Late. It's a good thing Angela brought me some food today, or else I'd be starving right now, since you and Jill decided that I didn't need any." She winked, playfully poking fun, as she petted the feline in her cat. "Isn't that right, Neko?"

Erin frowned slightly, not caring much for the humor. "Darien, Angela, Mary, I need all of you to go inside. Don't tell Ms. Klink about this, alright." 

Darien was the first one on his feet, pouting a little. "But we wanna spend time with Ms. Witch too. Why do we gotta go in?"

Angela stood up, nodding. "Yea, she's my friend too. I can see her whenever I want!"

Mary stayed on her knees, looking up at Erin through the bangs of her red hair. "Please, Mr. Erin. May we stay and visit with her?"

The soft tone calmed his anger slightly, taking a deep breath as he faced off with the three children. "I'm sorry, but right now, I need to speak with her alone." His voice was a bit strained, his temper having trouble holding itself back. "If you all go in, and promise to be good and not tell Ms. K about this, you can come out and visit her again a little later, alright?"

Mary nodded, accepting the answer, although Angela and Darien began their argument anew. 

Laughing softly, Witchmon patted the two, energy filled children on their shoulders. "Look, let me have a bit, and I'll show you some more tricks later, alright? I promise, you'll like them."

Angela and Darien both looked at the digimon then glanced to one another, nodding. They ran out of the room, giving Erin a small glare as they went through the door. Mary slowly stood up, giving Witchmon a polite curtsey, before she walked out herself.

Erin frowned slightly, as she shut the door behind the children. "Thanks… Not in the best mood for dealing with them right now…" He walked over, leaning against one of the crates.

Witchmon giggled, laying down on the crate she had been sitting on before, rubbing her stomach with her large hands softly. "I never would have guessed." She smirked, as she looked over at the teen, noticing the deep-set frown on his face. "Roachmon crawl up your butt or something?"

Erin looked away a moment, crossing his arms over his chest before he spoke. "Jill's missing."

The simple statement got the digimon sitting up quickly, staring in shock. "M...Missing? But she was with me until she went to bed last night. Did you see her at all?"

The teen nodded. "Yea, she stopped into my room a minute, to wish me good night. Gave me a small start to, since I was partially asleep. Which means she had to have disappeared while everyone was asleep last night, or this morning before breakfast. But I can't see why she would run away."

Witchmon tapped her lips as she thought. "Maybe… Maybe she didn't run away…" She watched the surprised expression on Erin's face, before she continued. "Could there be any reason someone would kidnap her?"

Erin's frown settled back in. "Not that I know of. And Brian being gone too, I can't see them going off together. Of late, Jill's been avoiding him like the plague."

The young witch tilted her head slightly. "Brian? The one who hasn't met me yet, right? Short blond hair and a bit muscular?" Receiving nods to confirm her comments, the female digimon frowned herself. "Maybe it has something to do with that guy he met the other night…"

Blinking, Erin stood in surprise, stepping towards Witchmon slightly. "Guy? What guy?"

Shrugging slightly, Witchmon petted her cat softly. "Some guy wearing a black mask covering all of his face but his eyes. It was the night before last, they were near the bushes on the side of your house. Unfortunately, they were too far away from me to hear them completely, but what I caught what sounded like arrangements. For Brian to deliver something somewhere. That's about the gist of it."

Erin thought over the new information, still having trouble putting anything together, as he paced in Witchmon's shed. His frustration was starting to get the better of him, when the shed door opened, revealing Mary's long, curly, red hair. She stepped in, looking down at Erin, as she held a piece of paper out to him.

"This was taped to the front door, with your name on it, Mr. Erin. Ms Klink would not look at it, since she was on the phone." Her voice was soft and sweet as always, as she held the paper.

Taking the slip from Mary, Erin nodded to her. "Thank you Mary. I'll bring it up with Ms. Klink if she needs it, so don't worry about telling her, alright?" He watched her nod, standing quietly. "Go ahead Mary. And keep Angel out of trouble, alright?"

The young girl nodded, nodding again to Witchmon, before she turned and walked out, as if nothing was abnormal.

The folded slip of paper had Erin's name scrawled on the front. The handwriting was horrible, like a child wrote it. Opening the paper, Erin's eyes went wide again, as he read the text inside.

'If you wish to see your friend again, come to the High School Gymnasium at nine PM, and bring the monster with you.'

Erin handed the note to Witchmon, after reading it a couple times. Someone knew. Or suspected anyway. And now, Jill had been dragged into it, just because of being associated with him. His hands clenched, as he felt his anger rising, giving a start as he felt one of Witchmon's large hands grip his shoulder.

"Don't you even think of going off, half-cocked. If Jill was kidnapped to get to you, or more accurately, Black War Humon, then we need to go into this carefully. Especially since this could be another digimon, coming for the power source. Only this time, they might know about you too, leaving us without that trump card."

Erin growled softly. "It doesn't matter." He pulled his shoulder out of her grip, walking to the door. "Witchmon, watch the house. Just in case they know I'm Black War Humon, I want you to protect everyone here. I will bring Jill back, no matter what it takes…" He walked out of the shed, leaving the female digimon to herself.

***********

Erin frowned as he walked down the side street. Taking a few back paths to try and avoid being followed, he was not directly across the street from the school, staring at the gym. Looking into the sky, the moon was a reddish tint, without a cloud in the sky to obscure it. A small halo of light was around it as well, giving the teen a faint, but uneasy feeling.

Walking through the parking lot, he frowned deeper, noticing the cameras on the light posts were following him. 'So much for the element of surprise.' He grumbles softly to himself as he slowly made his way to the backdoors of the gym. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the doors, pulling them open. Glancing around a final time, he slowly entered the pitch-black gymnasium. 

Darkness surrounded him, giving him a small feeling of DÈj‡ vu, as he walked across the gymnasium floor. The sound of his feet on the hardwood was making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. In his pocket, the dark coin seemed to be pulsing softly with energy, feeling warm against his leg. The whole scenario reeked of something wrong, to Erin.

As he reached the center of the floor, a spotlight turned on, shining from above one of the bleachers. He shielded his eyes a little, as he lost what little night-vision he had, trying to catch some glimpse of voices coming from the shadows around him.

"Monster!"

"Go away! We don't want you here!"

"You're the cause of all of it, it's your fault."

The scene seemed almost surreal, staring into the accusing darkness. "What's my fault? What are you talking about?" 

"My children play at that school you blew a chunk out of! What if they had been there when you blasted it?"

"My family goes to that mall your friend's terrorize all the time! They never would have come, if you weren't here!"

Erin was starting to calm down a little, as he lowered his arm, staring back at the black walls created by the spotlight. "And you accuse me? The news said the attacks were random… How do you know different?" He stared defiantly, a bit more confidant, as he was starting to tell the difference better. All the voices had been different, but they were all male. And they were coming from different places around him.

"The news covers it up. But thanks to people who care about the human race, we know the truth."

Erin gave a start, turning around as another spot came from the same directions the first had. The last voice had come from a man in a black mask, his eyes glaring menacingly at Erin from the top of the opposite bleachers. What made the teen's anger rise though, was that the man was holding Jill, still in her pajamas, with her hands tied behind her back. Just behind the man, Brian glared at Erin, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Let her go!" Erin grabbed the coin from his pocket, stepping forward, before two pairs of hands grabbed his arms, holding him back. Struggling a little, he glared at the apparent leader. "She's got nothing to do with this, so leave her alone!"

The leader gave a conceited laugh. "Oh, I think she does…." Pulling a knife out from behind him, the man pressed the tip against the center of Jill's chest, making the young girl tremble with, her fear filled eyes flickering from the blade to Erin.

Stopping his struggling, Erin's head dipped slightly as a soft growl escaped him. "Hurt her and so help me…"

"You'll do nothing. Now, if you value this little monster loving bitch's life, I suggest you reveal the demon that has been plaguing our fair town over this last month. Do that, and I may consider releasing her…" The tip of the blade just nicked the skin, making Jill tremble slightly against her bonds, as the small trickle of blood ran down her chest.

Erin growled at the small cut, giving a slight struggle for a second, seeming to have a bit more energy, as he forced the coin into fuse. "You want a monster… So be it…Digital Assimilation!" Screaming in anger, Erin's body lit up the gymnasium, giving off a purplish light. The two men who were holding his arms jumped back in shock, all the members of the small mob watching as the light gave out, revealing the armored form of Black War Humon.

The assimilated teen glanced around him, able to tell where the men around him were now. He gave a soft grunt as he took a step, counting the presence of over fifteen men, before he focused again. "You have your monster." His duel voices rang out slightly in the echo of the gym. "Now let her go!"

The leader brought his free hand up, pulling the mask off his head, revealing a full beard and unruly hair, giving the man a wild look to his face as he kept the knife at Jill's chest. "You were right boy. You'll be rewarded for your assistance." He glanced back to Brian a moment, who gave a soft grunt in response.

Erin blinked. 'Brian told them? He's the one who told them who I was?' A slight growl escaped his body again, as he felt hands grabbing his arms again, glancing to his sides to see two of the men trying to hold him back, although he ignored them. "So? You don't need her anymore. Just let her go, and we can settle this right now."

A dark smirk crossed the unruly looking man's face. "Well, you are right, demon. First, we will settle this now." Two clicks caught Erin's attention, sounding like guns behind him. "And second? We don't need this little bitch anymore…" Pulling the knife away, the leader turned his body, facing Jill's side, as he plunged the knife into her.

Erin stared in shock, watching the man drop Jill to the ground, almost not noticing Brian rushing to her side. The assimilated teen just watched the man as he turned back to Erin, a wolfish grin on his face. Almost seeming to be going in slow motion, the adult male raised his hand, saying something that didn't seem to reach Erin's ears.

As the hand began to fall, Erin felt like he was pushed back into normal speed. He shoved the two men away, leaping off the ground before they could react. His eyes watched the man, still moving in slow motion compared to him, until everything simply stopped. Turning his head, Erin saw the man was now at his side, bent over his right arm, which had impaled the man's stomach. Giving a single blink, he pulled his arm back, letting the mob's leader drop to the stairs, falling between two of the seats.

Erin's body felt numb as he looked at the man, watching his arms clutch at his bleeding stomach, before turning his eyes to his gauntlet, staring at the red stained claws. A flicker of motion in the corner of his eye caught his attention, swinging the same arm into his would be assailant. 

Turning his head fully, he saw the mob had collected at the bottom of the stairs, staring off to his right. Looking over, he saw another man, almost looking imbedded into the wall from the blow Erin had just given him. Looking back to the small mob of men, Black War Humon braced his feet, as he watched the small crowd of men shifting their feel nervously.

"Erin! Erin!!" The assimilated teen turned his head slightly, finally realizing Brian was yelling to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could just barely see Jill's body behind the football player, although the knife that had stabbed her was lying next to him. 

"What?!" His voices growled the word out, keeping part of his attention on the men below him. "Wanna gloat? Hope you're happy, you fucking bastard…"

Brian flinched slightly at the words, waving his hand. "Jill's still alive!"

Erin completely ignored the small mob as he turned his head fully towards the pair of orphans. "Wh…What?"

The blond nodded, moving back a little. "Jeff stabbed her in her shoulder. She's still alive, but I don't know how long, with how badly she's bleeding…"

Stepping closer, Erin knelt down next to Jill, noticing now that she was breathing, but it was very shallow. "How do I know your not setting me up again?" He asked calmly, as he picked the young girl up in his arms, watching Brian closely. 

"Because she wasn't supposed to be here." Brian glanced at the fallen man, before turning to Erin again, pulling jacket he had been wearing and laying it over the unconscious girl in Erin's arms. "Now get going! Less gabbing, and more moving!"

Erin nodded, taking a step away, before one of the mob members stepped forward, pointing a piece of pipe at him. "No way! You ain't going anywhere, freak! We're gonna send you right back to hell, where you came from!"

"Oh someone's going to hell tonight…" Everyone but Erin gave a start and stared at the ceiling of the gymnasium, as Witchmon floated down out of the shadows. She stared at the group of men below her, giving them an icy look. "But I'm afraid you gentleman will be the ones with the tickets. Get going, Black War Humon. I believe I can entertain these morons while your gone."

Witchmon watched as the assimilated human nodded, using the distraction to quickly move out of the gym without a fight. Landing on the bleachers a few feet from Brian, she glanced at the orphan, her tone and face neutral. "Where do you stand, boy? Answer now, before I start my fun…"

Brian shook off his shock, giving a cocky grin to the digimon. "I stand on my side. And right now, that's against them. Bet I can take more out then you can, babe."

Witchmon smirked softly, as her cat scampered off, spinning her broom in front of her slightly. "An interesting boast. Lets see if you can back it up…"

************

Erin's body strained, as he pushed himself to fly as fast as he could. The closest hospital he remembered being taken to while at the orphanage was a good half an hour south by car, and he didn't know where any others might be. 

A touch on his chest brought his attention away from the highway he was following, glancing down to see Jill's eyes slightly open, a weak smile on her face. She hand trembled slightly as she reached up, brushing her fingertips over Erin's exposed cheek, tracing the black coloration on his skin.

"Jill, save your strength. We're almost to the hospital. You'll be alright then." Speaking loud enough to be heard over the rush of air, Erin watched as she gave a soft nod, mouthing something, almost like she was trying to say something. 

Reaching the hospital, Erin started circling the building, trying to find the emergency room, as a soft noise caught his ear. Looking down at Jill, he gave a startled look as she opened her mouth again. "B…Big brother… Knew you would come…" Her voice was very soft, as she smiles weakly, her eyes closing a little more.

Shaking the shock of hearing Jill's voice off, Erin soon found the emergency room, returning to his fused state right as he landed. Ignoring the startled looks of people as he ran through the automatic doors, he rushed to the desk, shouldering past a couple people. "Help! I need help!"

Holding the girl tightly to him, Erin finally reached the front desk, greeted by an older woman working the front desk. She looked at the pair, opening her eyes wide, before she called for a medical team to come to the front desk. Within moments, Erin watched the doors to the ER swing shut, as Jill was rushed away from him on a stretcher.

Turning away, the teen almost ran head on into another female nurse, a little younger then the first one. She gave a start as Erin looked at her with unblinking red eyes, before she finally spoke. "Are you alright? We need to know if there is any immediate family we should contact?"

Erin shook his head slightly. "No. She and I are both orphans. If you could contact the Mt. Morris orphanage and speak with Beverly Klink, she can give you the medical information you need." Walking past the woman, Erin took a seat in one of the waiting chairs, ignoring the various stares he was receiving, as he waited.

**********

Erin's auburn eyes jolted away, as he felt his shoulder being nudged. Glancing around defensively, he noticed the young nurse from before standing in front of him, as where he was began settling in again. Bolting out of his seat, he almost knocked the woman back as he stepped forward. "Is Jill alright? Is something wrong? What happened?"

The nurse waved off at the questions, waiting a moment to get a word in. "Your friend is fine. The doctors were able to stabilize the bleeding, as she's already in recovery. Your Erin I assume?" At the quick nod, the young woman continued. "Well, she's been asking for you ever since she woke up about five minutes ago. If you'd like, you can sit with her now."

Nodding again, Erin followed the nurse into the ER section, wrinkling his nose slightly at the unique hospital smell filling his nose. The woman stopped at a door a small distance into the Emergency Room, pointing to it. "Go on it. Just get someone's attention if she needs anything."

As the nurse walked away, Erin slowly turned the knob, opening the door to Jill's room. He looked at his friend, laying on the bed in a hospital gown, with bandages wrapped around her left shoulder and an IV running into her arm. Shutting the door behind him, Jill's eyes opened slightly, turning towards him with a gentle smile.

Pulling one of the chairs over, the older teen sat down next to the bed, taking her free hand in both of his. "God, you scared the daylights out of me. I thought I was gonna loose you, kiddo."

She giggled softly, her voice still very weak, but not like before. She smiled gently, squeezing Erin's hands with hers, before closing her eyes. Erin watched the young girl drift into slumber leaving his unanswered questions for the moment, as he laid his own head against the side of the bed, dozing off himself.

***********

ToyAgumon ~ *blinks* She can talk?!

Rocker ~ This whole freakin' chapter, and that's all he comments on…

Floramon ~ *giggles softly* Well what did you expect. But even after a rough night like this, Erin can't seem to catch a break! Questions asked, answers revealed, but now Erin has to try and deal with some major life changes! Come back and see if he can cope, next time on Dark Diaries!

ToyAgumon ~ She can talk?!

Rocker ~ *sighs in annoyance*


	11. Entry 11 Revelations

Dark Diaries  
Entry 11 "Revelations"  
Written by Rocker Starlight  
Permission from Lord Archive  
  
**********  
  
Erin yawned softly, slowly opening his eyes. He sat up slowly, stretching his back a little, before realizing his hands weren't moving over his head. Blinking his eyes clear of the sleepiness, they focused on the young blond sleeping in the hospital bed, holding his hands tightly.  
  
Giving the hand a squeeze, Erin's mind went over what had happened. Jill and Brian go missing, the attack at the school, even hearing Jill's voice for the first time when he was rushing her to the hospital. It almost seemed unreal, save he was sitting in the recovering room with Jill right now, as she continued sleeping. Slipping one of his hands from the young girl's grip, he touched his pocket, reassuring himself of the feeling the coin was there.  
  
The noise of the doorknob brought him out of the revelry. Turning his head around, he saw Beverly Klink stepping into the room quietly. He watched her motion for him to be quiet, before waving her hand for him to follow and stepping back out. Not wanting to leave his friend's side, Erin reluctantly slide his hand out of Jill's, pulling the sheet over her more, before stepping out.  
  
As he closed the door, he turned to see the stern look on his caretaker's face that he had learned to dread. "I spend the day worrying why two of my wards are missing, with another taking off in the evening on his own. Then I get two calls in the middle of the night, one saying Jill is in the hospital emergency room, and the other saying Brian is in police custody. Would you care to do some explaining about it, as well as how you brought her here?"  
  
Swallowing softly, Erin shifted his feet nervously. "We need a private place to talk then… This could take awhile to explain…"  
  
***********  
  
In all the time she had worked for the orphanage, taking care the children who came and went, never had Beverly Klink ever thought of something like this happening... She inhaled on the cigarette, sitting outside the emergency room, watching the children playing through the window in silence. It still seemed hard for her to believe that what Erin had told her was true, that he was the dragon man from the news, battling those other monsters. That the witch from the mall had been staying in her shed and all of this had been going on without her ever knowing it.  
  
She didn't blame Erin. From how he had explained everything, he blamed himself enough for almost every single thing, even Selene being adopted, although she still wondered how he had managed that one. Taking another drag of her cigarette, she looked into the morning's sky, watching the clouds float by silently.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts?" Beverly turned her head, at the voice's owner, almost frowning. A man stood behind the bench she was sitting on, his black hair puled back into a small ponytail. He had a long, black jacket on, matching dress pants, as well as a white button up shirt, with a tie that was half undone. He wore a small pair of rectangular glasses over his eyes, which were partially done his nose. In his hand was a single rose, holding it near her.  
  
The caretaker for the Mt. Morris orphanage took another hit, turning away as the man leapt over the back of the bench, now sitting next to her. "Aww, come on. You don't need to give me the silent treatment you know."   
  
Beverly glanced at the man out of the corner of her eye, frowning as she noticed that unique smile he always wore around her. Sighing softly, she tapped some of the ash off her cigarette. "What is it Jack? Your latest girl drop you like a bad habit or did you just happen to be here?" She gave a soft glare at the man as she watched him.  
  
"Hey, you shouldn't give me that look. You'll give yourself wrinkles you know." Dropping the rose in her lap, he leaned back, laying his arms on the back of the bench, trying to casually rest his hand on her shoulder.  
  
Glancing at the hand on her shoulder, she moved it, before arching a brow at the casual man. "What do you want, Jack? I'm not going to fall for your charms like last time."  
  
Shrugging, Jack continued smiling at her as he leaned forward. "Actually, I'm here on business. I got sent to investigate some strange incidents, and part of it lead to someone here. When I saw your name was involved, I decided to take this case myself."  
  
Narrowing her eyes, Beverly watched her old flame as he stood up. "Incidents? What incidents are you talking about? And why would my name be involved?" Although she assumed she knew what he meant, she couldn't say anything. She didn't dare risk Erin, if it was the case.  
  
Jack pulled a silver lighter and his own cigarette out of two of his pockets, lighting it up. "Oh, just the monster sightings. Heard they're called Digimon, you know?" Taking a deep drag, he glanced back. "You should really give these things up, you know. They really aren't any good for you." Taking another drag, he waved his free hand, walking away from the hospital.  
  
Beverly watched at Jack was lost behind the sea of cars in the parking lot, quickly putting her cigarette out. If Jack was involved, then it meant this had just gone much higher then the local police or possible even the state. She rushed past the emergency room's automatic doors, praying that she got to her wards first.  
  
***********  
  
Erin sighed softly, leaning his head against the bed Jill was still sleeping in. It had been a little exhausting explaining the last month to his caretaker, trying to answer her questions while explaining how the last night's events had happened. Explaining how he had been keeping Witchmon in the tool shed had been an especially annoying part of the explanation.  
  
He gave Jill's hand a soft squeeze as he watched her sleeping. From the expression on her face, she had an angelic look to her face, as she had nothing in the world wrong. It had surprised him when Ms. K had not been startled to find out that Jill could speak. She had said something had happened before Jill had come to the orphanage that made her stop talking. She wouldn't explain further, saying each of the children had their reasons for being there, and she would not break their trust by talking about another's past.  
  
Erin looked over as he saw the door open again, blinking at the unknown girl walked into the room. She wore a familiar light blue dress that clung to her pert body snuggly, and a wide sun hat that covered her face. Laying a small bouquet of flowers on the counter, the girl lifted her head just enough to reveal a little bit of short, dirt blond hair, and a pair of black lips with small lines extending from the corner of the girl's mouth.  
  
"Umm… Do you know Jill miss?" Erin stood up, trying to place why the girl looked so familiar as he put himself between her and Jill.   
  
The girl giggled softly, pulling the hat off to reveal Witchmon's smiling face, her large eyes twinkling slightly. "If I don't, then I've been hallucinating a lot lately."  
  
Erin cursed under his breath, quickly shutting the door tight, staring in surprise at the young girl. "Witchmon, what are you doing here?! What happened at the school?"  
  
The female digimon ignored the questions at first, walking to the sleeping girl and stroking her hair softly. After taking a few minutes to look her over, she turned to Erin, shrugging slightly. "Your little friend and I cleared them out. The only annoying part was catching a few who were stupid enough to try and run after you. But he called the police after we knocked them all out, and waited for them while I took off."  
  
Erin frowned slightly, as he leaned against the door. "He's no friend of mine. But that still doesn't explain what you're doing here."  
  
Taking Erin's seat, Witchmon held Jill's small hand in her larger ones. "Mary came out and told me about the call from the hospital. So I followed your caretaker when she drove here, and then went back and borrowed one of Jill's dresses. It's a little snug, but I like how it looks." Caressing her body with one of her hands for a second, she smirked at the slightly blush that showed up on Erin's face.  
  
Before Erin could retort, a knock at the door startled him. Glancing from the door he was against to Witchmon frantically, he quickly grabbed the hat, placing it back on the digimon's head crookedly, before opening the door.  
  
Erin was more then a little startled, when he saw Ms. Klink standing outside his door, her hair a bit frazzled and breathing hard. She stepped into the room, shutting the door before she gave the digimon a curious glance.  
  
Stepping off to the side, Erin rubbed the back of his head slightly. "She's a friend of Jill's, Ms. K. They re very close…" He grinned sheepishly, hoping he wasn't asked for a more detailed explanation as he skirted around outright lying.   
  
Luckily for the nervous teen, Beverly nodded in acceptance, turning to him. "Erin, has anyone else been here since we talked?"  
  
A little startled by the tone of voice, Erin shook his head slightly. "No. I came straight here ever since we talked, and no one has come to the door, beside the nurse a couple times. Why? What's going on Ms. Klink?"  
  
The caretaker frown deeper as she thought for a moment. "We need to go. Were going back to the orphanage for a bit." Looking to Witchmon, she nodded slightly. "I'm sure she appreciates you being here. Would you please look after her until I can return?"  
  
Witchmon nodded slowly a little startled herself. "I'll wait by her side. Have no worries." Glances to Erin, she added. "And you take care of yourself. I've had a really odd feeling ever since I saw you last, and it hasn't gone away."  
  
Erin blinked at the warning, nodding. "I'll watch myself." Turning to Beverly, he motioned to the door. "Lets get the kids and go. Maybe then you can explain what might be wrong." Following his caretaker out the door, he glanced at Witchmon and Jill one more time, before walking down the hall, leaving the hospital.  
  
**********  
  
Erin sighed softly, as he sat at the computer. As soon as they had gotten home, Ms. Klink had explained that some government agents seemed to be involved in the investigation over the fights he had been in, one even showing up at the hospital. Frowning slightly, he ran the CD in the computer, booting up the Digi-destined Message Board. Ms. Klink had been rather adamant that he needed to leave, even if it was only for a short time, so the government didn't find out how he was involved.  
  
He honestly didn't understand how they could, as long as he didn't assimilate. Who would connect an orphan with a dragon-man looking digimon in armor? Unfortunately, Ms. Klink had made the point that the mob was in jail, meaning easy access to be talked with, and it was doubtful they would hold back on who the monster really was.  
  
Opening the program, he opened the message board, signing himself in. He ignored the e-mails for a moment, starting to type his message into a new post.  
  
*~*~*  
  
  
General Forum: Announcements  
Subject: Erin Storm - home hunting  
Moderator: Izumi Koushiro  
Members: 475  
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Message: Home Hunting  
User: Erin Storm  
Location: Mt. Morris, MI, USA  
Time: 07-20-04 21:14:15 GMT  
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I hate to be a bother, but I'm afraid I've run into a problem I need some advice or help on. I'll explain what happened later, but unfortunately it a small mob got a hold of one of the other orphans here. Besides my friend being stabbed, the mob were the only casualties. However, it seems my caretaker found out some government agents have been in the area, and between them and the mob, I've been asked to leave the orphanage, at least for the time being. If someone can give me a suggestion on what to do, I'd appericiate it . I'll be packing some, and checking in while I do. Thanks for your time, and I once again apologize for being a bother.  
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*~*~*  
  
Finishing the message, Erin posted it onto the site, giving a soft sigh. He stood and waled upstairs, so he could pack what things he could take with him. Packing clothing into his backpack as well as a small suitcase, a picture on his desk distracted him a moment.  
  
The picture was of Selene and himself a year ago, both of them dressed up for the Sadie Hawkins dance at the school. Selene had worn another of her chinese dresses, a simple black one with small yin and yang symbols on the shoulders and where the dress held itself. Her black hair was even up in a bun Ms. Klink had helpd her with. Over all, she looked much better then himself, in his white dress shirt and black pants. It still surprised him that she had invited him to the dance in the first place.  
  
Placing the picture into his backpack, Erin stood up, glancing at the clock. It had taken him a couple hours to get all his packing done. Laying on his bed, he decided to try and get a short nap, figuring by the time he woke up, the message board would have enough to time have an answer.  
  
Erin slowly opened his eyes, as he heard his alarm go off. Yawning loudly, he sat up and stretched, feelign a bit stiff for sleeping in his clothing. Glancing at the alarm clock, his eyes went wide as he saw he had been asleep most of the night. Quickly grabbing his suitcase and backpack, he tossed his flannel on, running downstairs to check the message board again.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Message: Re: Home Hunting  
User: Greg Jones  
Title: NA  
Location: Detroit, MI  
Digimon: Gomamon, Frogmon  
Time: 07-20-04 21:17:24 GMT  
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What the ERROR did you do?!  
  
If you screwed every thing up for us, I will take care of you.  
  
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Message: Re: Home Hunting  
User: Sue Perns  
Title: NA  
Digimon: Floramon, Yashamon  
Time: 07-20-04 21:17:19 GMT  
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I would offer my place to stay. But Mom hates it when I bring strangers over.  
  
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Message: Re: Home Hunting  
User: Greg Jones  
Title: NA  
Location: Detroit, MI  
Digimon: Gomamon, Frogmon  
Time: 07-20-04 21:21:25 GMT  
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Words can not express what I think of your ERROR comment, Sue.  
  
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Message: Re: Home Hunting  
User: Sarah Langley  
Title: Holder of the Metal Empire Talisman  
Location: Yutaka, AK  
Digimon: Toy Agumon, Tankmon  
Time: 07-20-04 22:24:47 GMT  
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If you don't mind the cold you can come stay here for a while.  
  
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Message: Re: Home Hunting  
User: James Norman  
Title: Holder of the Unknown Talisman  
Location: Yutaka, AK  
Digimon: Armadimon, Nanimon/Pteranmon  
Time: 07-20-04 22:27:32 GMT  
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Are you sure that's wise Sarah? He's got some sort of problem with the feds, and even if we've got some help form the local police, I don't think they'd be able to stop a federal investigation.  
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Message: Re: Something for Brains  
User: Eric Stewart  
Title: Holder of the Sword of Spirit  
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada  
Digimon: *Lopmon* - Wendigomon - Antiramon  
Time: 07-20-04 22:27:57 GMT  
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Greg sheesh, calm down. Why don't you lay off the new guy for once? Geez.  
  
Erin's welcome up here! Stop by if you ever get the chance to!  
  
Edit : Koushiro, can't you do something about the translation program? I can't use any british slang. The word S M E G isn't a proper name so it doesn't work. I loose so many jokes with this thing on.  
  
Edited by Eric Stewart at 22:28:42 GMT  
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Message: Re: Home Hunting  
User: Walter Sharpe  
Title: Holder of the Deep Savers Talisman  
Location: Yutaka, AK  
Digimon: Otamamon, Seadramon  
Time: 07-20-04 22:29:09 GMT  
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James, what are you worried about? We can get him here through the Digital World, and unless they put his face all over wanted posters, then nobody'll be the wiser.  
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Message: Re: Home Hunting  
User: Rita Collins  
Title: Calming Dove  
Location: San Antonio, TX  
Digimon: *Floramon*, Harpymon  
Time: 07-20-04 22:35:15 GMT  
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A few months ago, my family probably wouldn't mind. We just took in Jorge and Victoria a few months ago. Sorry, Erin.  
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Message: Re: Home Hunting  
User: Kylie Wilson  
Title: Bearer of the Oval of Power  
Location: (Temporarily) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada  
Digimon: *Palmon* - Aquilamon - Garudamon  
Time: 07-20-04 23:31:24 GMT  
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Is that really any way to treat the new guy, Greg? Have a heart. I'd invite him to my place, but I'm up north with most of the team. I'm sure Garrick could take him in.  
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Message: Re: Home Hunting  
User: Sean Gagne  
Title: Bearer of the Healers Gauntlet  
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada  
Digimon: *Patamon* - Pidmon - Cyber Dramon - God Dramon  
Time: 07-20-04 23:34:56 GMT  
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Yeah, we have visitors from Florida at our place right now. But I'm sure we can fit Erin in. He just has to pass an insanity test.  
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Message: Re: Smeg for Brains  
User: Pedro DeCosta  
Title: Digimentals of Light, Faithfulness, Friendship, Courage, Hope  
Location: Belem, Brazil  
Digimon: Minomon, *Wormmon*, Coatlmon/Archelomon/Lighdramon/Shadramon/Bullmon,  
Indramon/Sandiramon & Chibimon, *V-mon*,  
Depthmon/Gargomon/Lighdramon/Fladramon/Sagitarrimon, Indramon/Sandiramon   
Time: 07-20-04 23:38:13 GMT  
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I'd offer my place (we sure as ERROR have enough room), but Brazil's quite a trek from Michigan.  
  
I should know, I've made it ;-)  
  
Anyway, good luck, and I hope everything works out well.  
  
EDIT: OK, so NOW I learn he can't go to the Digital World. After I spend an hour compiling basic Digital World survival tips. Great.  
  
Edited by Pedro DeCosta at 07-21-04 11:01:32 GMT  
  
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Message: Re: Home Hunting  
User: Dwayne Wright  
Title: Nimble Cat  
Location: Converse, TX  
Digimon: *Gotsumon*, Icemon, Insekimon  
Time: 07-21-04 00:26:23 GMT  
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Guess I wouldn't mind. We've got enough people here to cover for you, Erin. I'm sure my folks wouldn't mind.  
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Message: Re: Home Hunting  
User: Richard Thompson  
Title: Cunning Owl  
Location: Converse, TX  
Digimon: *Hagurumon*, Thunderballmon, Metal Mamemon  
Time: 07-21-04 00:37:47 GMT  
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No offense, Erin, but Hagurumon and my sisters are enough to deal with. -_-;  
  
Yes, Dwayne. I'm sure they won't mind...like they don't mind what you and Rita do about every week...  
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Message: Re: Home Hunting  
  
User: Be Ann Leu   
Title: Bearer of Badge of Virtue and Digimental of Purity  
Location: Pennsylvanian, California, USA  
Digimon: Pabumon, Motimon, *Hagurumon, Thunderballmon/Sentrixmon, Piximon/Taomon  
Time: 07-21-04 00:37:56 GMT  
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I'm with Eric! Leave Erin alone, Greg! Unless you want me to sic Piximon on you.  
  
Anyways, Erin is welcome here, anytime. And that goes for anyone here.  
  
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Message: Re: Home Hunting  
User: Dwayne Wright  
Title: Nimble Cat  
Location: Converse, TX  
Digimon: *Gotsumon*, Icemon, Insekimon  
Time: 07-21-04 01:39:27 GMT  
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Rich! They didn't need to know that!  
  
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Message: Re: Home Hunting  
User: Jorge Gonzalez  
Title: Silent Snake  
Location: San Antonio, TX  
Digimon: *Tapirmon*, Boarmon  
Time: 07-21-04 01:40:35 GMT  
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Gotsumon and Floramon probably didn't help. I've been noticing Patamon and Terriermon always going somewhere private when Clint visits, and they've been driving Victoria nuts. Clint, do anything to her and I'll kill you. That's a promise, not a threat.  
  
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Message: Re: Home Hunting  
User: Clinton Reeves  
Title: Wise Wolf  
Location: Guadalupe County, TX  
Digimon: *Patamon*, Unimon  
Time: 07-21-04 01:45:29 GMT  
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No worries there, Jorge. I've been able to maintain my composure when that's happening.  
  
And to get things back on track, Dwayne, you seem to be the only one that has room in their home for him...  
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Message: RE: Home Hunting  
User: Julia Martinez  
Location: San Isidro, Argentina  
Digimon: *Piyomon*, Sabirdramon  
Time: 07-21-04 01:54:03 GMT  
-----------------------  
  
Sigh... why is it always bad news when he hear something from the most active teams.  
  
I'm starting to believe David is right about his belief that being a Digi-Destined only brings pain to people.  
  
I'm sorry but I can't invite you over. Wish I could do more to help... God, I feel so useless some times.   
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Message: RE: Home Hunting  
User: James McConnell  
Title: Digimentals of Knowledge, Courage, Kindness, Love  
Location: Belem, Brazil  
Digimon: Nyaromon, *Plotmon*, Butterflymon/Lynxmon/Opossumon/Swanmon,  
Mihiramon/Pajiramon  
Time: 07-21-04 02:44:58 GMT  
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Pedro, you might want to look at this thread here...  
  
[A human evolving into a digimon in Michigan]  
  
Erin can't go to the Digital World. He doesn't even have a Digivice.  
  
Good luck, Erin. I think you'll need it.  
  
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Message: Re: Use the Digital World!  
User: Walter Sharpe  
Title: Holder of the Deep Savers Talisman  
Location: Yutaka, AK  
Digimon: Otamamon, Seadramon  
Time: 07-21-04 04:45:26 GMT  
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Are you people stupid or something? Set up a meeting point and take him to the Digital World YOURSELVES!  
  
And I thought dealing with Sarah's Nanomon friend was hard...  
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Message: Re: Use the Digital World!  
User: James McConnell  
Title: Digimentals of Knowledge, Courage, Kindness, Love  
Location: Belem, Brazil  
Digimon: Nyaromon, *Plotmon*, Butterflymon/Lynxmon/Opossumon/Swanmon,  
Mihiramon/Pajiramon  
Time: 07-21-04 04:47:18 GMT  
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Walter, first of all, calm down.  
  
Second of all, from what we know so far, a Digivice is required to enter the Digital World. Any person dragged into the Digital World either has a Digivice already, or gets one upon arrival, usually, if not almost always, the former. Consider Erin's powers, as well as his exposure to Digimon. If he was going to get a Digivice, he would have one already. And, of course, he's older than even the oldest of us was when we received our Digivices.  
  
If you want to try dragging him into the Digital World, be my guest, but it doesn't appear as though the Digital World wants him there, and I don't want to see what would happen if we tried to force him in.  
  
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Message: Re: Use the Digital World!  
User: Stacey Anderson  
Title: Bearer of Badge of Heart  
Location: Pensylvanian, CA, USA  
Digimon: Pichimon, Bukamon, *Otamamon*, Gekomon, Taomon   
Time: 07-21-04 06:47:57 GMT  
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Excellent point James.  
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Message: Re: Smeg for Brains  
User: Catherine Ducharme  
Title: Flower of the West  
Location: Paris, France  
Digimon: *Floramon*, Kiwimon  
Time: 07-21-04 07:49:34 GMT  
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You're welcome to come to Paris if you would like, Erin. We don't get very many other Digi-destined coming to visit us. And I'm sure that Genevieve's father will give you a good rate on a room.   
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Message: Re: Smeg for Brains  
User: Colette Arwall  
Title: n/a  
Location: Paris, France  
Digimon: *Gazimon*, Lynxmon  
Time: 07-21-04 08:10:52 GMT  
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What the- does Mrs. Louie have you doing endorsements for The Rose Inn now too, Catherine?   
  
Erin - I'm sure you can find plenty of places to stay with us Digi-destined in Paris if you decide to come here. You could even come stay at my house if you want. It might be a little crowded, but look on the bright side: we've got so many kids there already that Mom and Father might not even notice that you're there FPRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=:)"  
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Message: Re: Endorsements, me?  
User: Rene LeSalle  
Title: The Disputant  
Location: Paris, France  
Digimon: *Snow Agumon*, Hyougamon  
Time: 07-20-04 08:15:24 GMT  
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And if you don't speak French and need someone to translate, I'm _sure_ Ellen would be happy to act as interpreter. *insert evil grin smiley here*  
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Message: Endorsements, me?  
User: Catherine Ducharme  
Title: Flower of the West  
Location: Paris, France  
Digimon: *Floramon*, Kiwimon  
Time: 07-20-04 08:25:47 GMT  
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Colette, I am _not_ doing endorsements for Msr. Riveare! I was just giving Erin a suggestion of where to stay if he chooses to come to Paris!  
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Message: *incoherant screeching*  
User: Ellen Belvoir  
Title: The Linguist  
Location: Paris, France  
Digimon: *Hawkmon*, Cockatrimon  
Time: 07-20-04 08:42:29 GMT  
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RENE! What have I told you about volunteering my services without my permission?!?!  
  
(oh, and Erin, I'll be perfectly willing to translate for you if you need it (if you decide to come to Paris).  
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Message: Re: Home Hunting  
User: Izumi Koushiro  
Title: MODERATOR; Crest of Knowledge  
Location: Odaiba Ward- Tokyo, Japan  
Digimon: [Babumon, Motimon, Tentomon, Kabuterimon, Altur Kabuterimon]   
Time: 07-21-04 09:19:34 GMT  
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Erin, why haven't you replied to my emails.  
  
Anyway, I'll MAKE room for you to stay over here. Shouldn't be a problem since Jyou told me you speak Japanese.  
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Message: Re: Federal Trouble  
User: Hank Thomas  
Title: Medal of Duty  
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA  
Digimon: Motimon, *Kokuwamon*, Gardromon, Andromon  
Time: 07-21-04 10:55:34 GMT  
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Erin, I can't say much about your situation, just that you're not in nearly as much trouble as you think.  
  
It would be safe for you to stay on the Oklahoma base if you need a place to go.  
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Message: Re: Federal Trouble  
User: Bobby Raven  
Title: Medal of Persistance  
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA  
Digimon: Pyocomon, Piyomon, Birdramon/Nohemon, Garudamon/Karatenmon   
Time: 07-21-04 10:56:25 GMT  
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Don't worry about the 'clean-up' if any stray digimon decide to pay Michigan some trouble after you leave.  
  
The lovely US military is paying for me to have a 'vacation' in Mt. Morris. (Don't ever join them. They have NO concept of time.)  
  
But, um, tell me, is there actually anything to do there? Or is dead town in the sticks? Can't even find the place on the map.  
  
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From: EmilyTatum@prodigious.net.jp  
To: ErinStorm@prodigious.net.jp  
Message: Place to Stay  
-------------------------------------------------------------  
While I don't have room at my place for you. There is a nearby abandonned building nearby that my team uses to hold meetings. Actually, it's the building you met Greg and Sue at. There are plenty of rooms there to stay in. Just don't mind the homeless that stay in the lower levels. And don't mind Greg, he's all bark and no bite.   
  
*~*~*

  
**************  
  
Jill's eyes slowly opened, as she looked around the hospital room again. She had been having another nice dream about Erin, before she felt a presence wake her up. She looked around the room, smiling as she looked at the sleeping Witchmon next to her bed, before her attention focused on the note she found laying on her. Opening it up, she smiled faintly, as she read it.  
  
~~~~  
Hey Jill.   
  
Sorry couldn't say good bye in person, but Ms. Klink said the 'big brother' might have some guys looking around for me, so I needed to head out fast. I'm going to go stay with the kids I met in Detroit, so don't worry, alright? I left the CD in my flannel, which is under the foot of your bedsheets. I'm leaving in case of an emergancy only! I'll ask the guy in charge of it if you or Witchmon can have an account. I told Ms. Klink everything, including about Witchmon, so make sure they meet. Take care of yourself, and I'll keep in touch by mail, internet or normal.  
  
Erin  
~~~~  
  
Jill giggles softly, reaching under her blankets and finding the flannel in question. She gave it a sniff, blushing as she enjoyed the scent of her 'big brother', and laid back down, planning to tell Witchmon what was going on, once she got a little bit more sleep.  
  
**************  
  
Rocker ~ Dear gods!!! ToyAgu, Flora, if I ever think to do something like this again, remind me to stop and crack my head into a wooden post, until the thought goes away....  
  
ToyAgumon ~ Got it! *grins*  
  
Floramon ~ *sighs softly, smiling a little* Anyway, with Erin no longer in Mt. Morris, just what is he going to do? You'll have to wait until next time to find out, on the next Dark Diaries!

A/N ~ Special thanks are going out to Archive himself, who assisted greatly in helping me figure out some of the time details, and in the end ended up doing the times and order for the posts themselves, which I apperieicated greatly. ^_^  



	12. Entry 12 World's collide!

Dark Diaries

Entry 12 "World's collide!"

Written by Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

***********

Erin looked out the window, staring at the busy streets. It had been two days since he had arrived in Detroit, staying in abandoned building that the team of Digi-destined for the town used as a meeting place. With their help, Erin's new room at least had some clean bedding for the mattress, and looked fairly nice after Sue had gotten a hold of it. Although there was only so much you could do to the room of an abandoned building.

Turning away from the window, Erin looked at picture sitting next to his bag, of Selene and himself at a Sadie Hawkins dance a year ago. He hoped she was all right. The last time he had heard from her was before Mimi and Jyou had come to visit him. Although the incident with the mob had distracted him, his time since arriving in Detroit had left him more then enough time to start worrying about it.

Hearing a knock at the door, Erin tensed slightly. He still had trouble relaxing in the building, even if the room he had was one of the only ones with a lock on it still. He walked over to the door, gripping his coin in his hand tightly. "Who is it?"

"It's Emily."

Hearing the girl's voice, Erin let a relieved breath escape him. Opening the door, he let the red head in, glancing at the laptop under her arm as she walked into the room. As he closed the door, it took a moment, before he noticed the nice green dress Emily was wearing, her hair pulled back into two pigtails. 

Emily blushed a little at the gawking look Erin was giving her, setting the laptop on the desk they had scrounged up. As she set the computer up, Tsukaimon slipped out from under the dress. The gray digimon stretched her ears slightly, as Emily looked back to Erin. "Koushiro sent me an e-mail, asking me to check something for him. You have your coin, right?"

Erin shook himself, blushing a little more as he realized he had been staring. "Y…yea." Opening his hand, he revealed the black coin, gleaming in the afternoon's light.

Smiling softly, nodded, and plugged her cell phone into a cord, connecting it to the laptop, as she began loading up a program. "Koushiro wants to know if you can access the Digital World with it. So were going to test it out, alright?"

Erin nodded slowly, stepping closer to look at the program she was booting up. As her finger typed at the keyboard, he watched the Digi-port program that Jyou had run the other week appear on the screen. 

Reaching into a pocket in the dress, Emily pulled out her gray digivice, holding it up to Erin. "Ready? If the portal opens, we'll probably both fall in fast."

The brown haired teen nodded. "Yea. But what am I supposed to do, anyway?" 

Emily laughed softly. "Try holding your coin up to the screen, and say 'Digi-port open'. Ok?"

Erin nodded, holding his coin at the screen, noticing Emily doing the same with her digivice. Taking a deep breath, he took a moment, before giving it a try. "Digi-port open!"

The two teens stood in front of the laptop, staring at the screen for a few minutes. As nothing happened, Erin rubbed the back of his head. "Ok, now what?"

Emily smiled softly. "Try with the coin inside you. Koushiro said if it didn't work at first, to keep trying."

Erin nodded. "All right. Coin Fusion." He gasped softly, feeling the familiar feeling of the coin merging with his body. His eyes slowly began to shift from his normal auburn shade to a soft glowing red. Looking at the computer screen, he held his hand out to it. "Digi-port open!"

Light flashed from the screen, as Erin felt like his body was being pulled towards the computer screen. Before he could try react, he fell forward, giving a yell as he began free falling.

***********

Groaning, Erin slowly opened his eyes. The landing was definitely something to be desired, as he tried to sit up, noticing the body lying on top of him. Opening his eyes, his cheeks turned a bright crimson as he saw the pair of purple panties in front of him. He closed his eyes, swinging his head back too fast and slamming it into the ground. "Ouch…"

A soft groan followed his noise, before he felt the body on top of him quickly scrambling off. As he opened his eye, he saw Emily sitting next to him, her dress spread out around her legs, and her cheeks blushing as well. Sitting up, Erin grinned sheepishly, looking around at the scenery around him to try and ignore the awkward moment.

Around them was a lush forest, tall trees standing all around them. A path wound between the trees, leading outside of the forest, in the direction of a large town he could see in the distance. Sitting between two of the trees, a small television with a pair of rabbit ears sat on the ground, looking out of place from the forest.

"We are just outside of Gear, the main town for this area of the Digital World." Standing up, Emily brushed her dress off, offering a hand and helping Erin to his feet. "We'll walk a little closer, and then head back, alright?"

At Erin's nod, the pair walked down the path. As they came to the forest's edge, Erin stared in awe at the sight of the large city. Most of it was made of metal, almost like it was machine made, with a more normal looking village surrounding it. Small smokestacks rose from the buildings, as the noise of the city reached them.

"Wow… Is it as big as Detroit?" Erin continued staring at the metal city.

Emily giggled softly. "We never checked, but we think it is since it is the digital world of Detroit."

Tsukaimon landed on the young girl's shoulder. "Feels nice to be back…" She smiled softly as she let herself relax.

Erin smiled softly, before something caught his eye on the Emily's dress. "Wasn't that gray before? And smaller too." 

Looking down at what Erin was pointing at, Emily blinked in surprise. Instead of the basic gray digivice she had always had, a deep green D3 hung on the belt of her dress, red highlights accenting the colors. Taking it in her hand, she examined it closely. "It was…" She frowned slightly as she thought over it.

Erin tilted his head slightly as he noticed the frown. "What happened then?"

Tsukaimon answered before Emily. "It means we may have a mission again soon. Some of the Odaiba Chosen mentioned having their digivices upgraded during the wedding reception."

Emily nodded to her partner's words. "Tsukaimon's right. I'll have to let the rest of the team know, and bring them through to see if they upgrade as well." As she looked at her D3, the screen flashed a moment, before a couple small dots began flashing on it. "Erin, do you mind us not heading back yet?"

Shaking his head, Erin watched the girl, stepping closer to look at the blips. "What's going on?"

Emily watched her new digivice closely. "I'm fairly certain the blip in the center is myself. I'm assuming the other is another digivice, but I'm not certain." She looked up at the town, before giving Erin a soft smile. "Looks like you get to see Gear after all."

Smiling at the Irish girl, Erin followed along as she started towards the town. "Beats sitting in that room day in and out"

***********

Walking past the outer walls of the city, Erin watched as digimon ran past the three of them. Most seemed to be about the Child level, guessing from the height, with a few Adults also moved through the crowds. The variety did catch him by surprise a little, but he managed to keep himself from gawking at the different types of digimon walking around.

Emily glanced back, giving a soft giggle at Erin as she sidestepped a Hagurumon. Glancing at her new D3, she took a left turn, making sure her friend followed, before continuing down a new road. Although it had been awhile since she had been able to walk around the digital world and it felt refreshing to be back. After a few steps, she glanced past the crowd, smiling as she thought she recognized. Grabbing Erin's arm, she quickly started to run through the crowd.

Erin gave a small start as he started to run to keep up. Trying to see what it was that had her taking off like she had, her looked over her should, merely seeing a road packed with digimon. Before he realized what was going on, he felt Emily make a quick turn, nearly loosing her grip on his arm. As she finally began to slow down, Erin panted softly, very unused to having to run much.

Feeling the hand on his arm pull away, Erin stood up, watching as Emily started to walk towards one building in particular. "E…Emily? Where are we going?" He was slowly starting to catch his breath as he followed the Irish girl.

Emily smiled as she looked back at him. "I thought I saw an old friend come this way, so I'm seeing if he is home."

Following along, Erin followed her into the building. As they stepped inside, all Erin saw was a hallway leading to some stairs, with a couple doors on each side. It all seemed very similar to an apartment building in the real world, to the teenager. A flash of warmth ran through his body, similar to how his coin felt when it pulsed, making him blink as he follows Emily. He definitely had never felt that before.

Leaving his train of thought for the moment, Erin watched Emily walk to one of the doors in the new hallway, knocking lightly on it. After a moment, a small hole appeared in the door, right in front of Emily's face, quickly disappearing again. The door slowly opened, reveal a small ball-like digimon with a metal helmet over half its body. It's body seemed to be made of metal as well, it's right hand red with three claws coming from it, and a small laser replacing the left. It floated in front of the trio, the mouth just under it's mask smiling at the Irish girl.

"Well, ya finally came to visit, eh?" Metal Mamemon floated back, landing on the ground. "Come in, you two, and bring yer friend with ye."

Erin blinked, following Emily and Tsukaimon into the cyborg digimon's room. Even the room seemed like a normal apartment, if just barely furnished. After the door shit, the small digimon floated up in front of Erin, holding it's right hand out to him as it retracted it's claws into it's hand. "Metal Mamemon, a pleasure to meet ye." 

"Erin. Erin Storm, a pleasure." Shaking the small, cyborg digimon's hand, Erin watched it float up and takes three glasses, bringing them over to them. As Emily and her partner both took a drink, Erin followed suit, taking a sip of the water.

Sitting in his chair, Metal Mamemon gave a heart felt laugh. "Well, what's thee occasion? Haven't seen any of you kids in quite some time. I began to think ye forgot all about me."

Giggling softly, Emily smiled at the Perfection digimon. "Don't start. Thank to my friend here, we have the ability to enter the Digital World again." She motioned to Erin.

Tsukaimon smiled, as Erin blushed slightly, similar to the glow in his eyes. "Metal Mamemon, do you know of anything out of place around town? We were following a signal on Emily's D3."

Pulling her D3 out, Emily showed the digimon the screen, the blips much closer together now. Metal Mamemon watched the screen a moment, standing up in his chair. "I think I know where that be. Follow me, Lass' and Gent." The cyborg digimon quickly float to his front door and out, leaving the trio to try and catch up.

Running out of the building, Metal Mamemon floated in the air, further down the road at a slower pace. Erin gave Emily a confused look, although it appeared his friend had no clue what the little digimon was doing either. As they walked behind the Perfection, Erin fidgeting fingers slightly. "Emily… You mind if I ask about something you said earlier?"

Arching her brow, Emily smiled softly. "Sure. What's up, Erin?"

"You mentioned a wedding earlier. I was wondering who's wedding it was?" Erin rubbed the back of his head slightly.

Emily blinked, taking a moment to think before her face lit up with recognition. "Oh, the Takaishi wedding. It was for two members of the Odaiba team, Takeru Takaishi and Hikari Yagami. Well, Hikari Takaishi now." She smiled softly. "Only a few weeks ago too. Hope they enjoyed their honeymoon."

Erin blinked. "They're Digi-destined? H…How old are they?"

"They're both thirteen, although Takeru turns fourteen in September I think."

Emily glanced back, as she noticed Erin blinking blankly. "Th…Thirteen? B…But how? Why?"

Grabbing his arm, Emily pulled Erin along to keep up with Metal Mamemon. "The why… Well, lets just say they'll have a good sign of their love a few months from now." The Irish girl blushed a little. 

Erin almost fell over as he heard the statement. "They're pregnant?!" A couple digimon glanced at them, making the red head blush deeper.

"Yes, SHE is. As for the how, well, their families agreed letting them be married would be better I guess. I don't really know the specifics about that."

Finally walking fast enough to not be dragged along, Erin rubbed the back of his head slightly. "I…I guess I just never thought I'd ever hear about two thirteen-year-olds getting married. Of course, I never thought I would think I'd turn into a digimon, so I guess I'm good proof anything can happen…"

Emily smiles softly. "Yea. But everything will work out. People aren't normally chosen by the Digital World for no reason, so you wouldn't have been selected if you weren't meant to do something."

Erin smiled slightly, and gave a nod. "Thanks."

Tsukaimon patted one of her wings on Emily's head, getting the girl's attention. "Metal Mamemon went into that building, Emily. We should probably follow him."

Both teens blushed slightly, heading into the building Tsukaimon had pointed out, looking like a giant metal block. Walking in, a pillar of red light shown from the center of the room, with Metal Mamemon standing at the base of it. As they walked closer, the digimon stepped away, revealing a red and yellow egg with a horn shaped spike coming out of it.

Emily looked at her D3, only seeing a single blip now. "A Digimental… That's what the D3 was picking up." She walked over to the Digimental, stepping into the pillar of light and kneeling down. Placing her hands on the egg, it shown brighter for a moment, before she pulled it from the ground. The light quickly dissipated from the room, leaving it dim compared to before.

Holding her D3 up to the Digimental, it turned into energy and shot into the digivice, making another beam of energy hit the floor and reveal a rectangular box on the ground. Emily picked it up, flipping the top open, showing a screen with her Digimental on it. She smiled brightly, looking to her partner, who had the same expression on her face too.

As Emily started to stand up, an explosion rocked the cube building. All four looked to one another, before running out to try and find the cause. They looked around once aside, not seeing anything, until a shape leapt from the building they had been in to one across the street. As it turned around, they got a good look at the large mane of golden hair being held back by a metal brace around the lion digimon's forehead. Its body was covered in white and black armor, with small turbines on its arms and legs spinning at high speeds. 

Grinning around the two large fangs coming from its mouth, the lion let a roar escape it, before it leapt from view.

Erin stared in shock before turning to his comrades, seeing the same expressions on them. "Who or what was that?"

Metal Mamemon frowned, watching a couple Mamemon floating up and following the digimon. "GrappLeomon. He's a fighting specialist, and a dangerous opponent. You two stay here, we'll handle this." The cyborg flew off after his fellow Mamemon, not giving the trio a chance to answer.

Emily frowned, shaking her head. "I'll be damned if I'm letting a friend fight without me. Tsukaimon lets give your new form a shot. Digimental up!"

Leaping off Emily's shoulder, Tsukaimon was swallowed into a pillar of red light. "Tsukaimon, armor evolve…" As the light began to dim, the small gray digimon's form was replaced with that of a large boar, easily as large as the two humans were. Flames flickers around her neck and on the end of her tail and two red and black stripped tusks extended from her mouth. On her forehead, a metal plate held itself in place, as she stamped her hooves on the ground. "Boarmon!"

Erin's red eyes began to glow brightly as he clenched his fists tight. "Digital Assimilation!" The purple light formed around him, falling away to reveal the armored form of Black War Humon, clashing his claws against one another, before stretching his arms at his sides.

Leaping onto Boarmon's back, Emily motioned to Erin. "Go with them. We'll follow on the ground." As he nodded to her, they split up, Black War Humon taking to the air, while Emily and Boarmon cut into an alley to follow along.

It wasn't long before Erin caught sight of Metal Mamemon, or the battle that seemed to be going on. The trio of Mamemon, simple balls with limps compared to Metal Mamemon, tossed the small energy bombs at the lion, making it growl as it swung. 

"Lion Whirlwind Kick!" The turbines on GrappLeomon's legs back whirling intensely, before he flipped onto his hands, spinning himself on them. The attack began forming a whirlwind effect, from the turbines, pulling the three Mamemon in, before each one was struck by a foot and kicked away. The lion digimon stopped spinning, and landed on his feet again, grinning at his only remaining opponents.

Black War Humon growled softly as he watched the lion. The cocky smirk on the digimon's face was unmistakable, as its gaze turned to Metal Mamemon, pulling back one of its arms. "Lion Beast Killing Wave!" The turbine on the limp started, as he punched the air in front of him, a wave of air slamming the cyborg digimon into a nearby building.

"Energy Bomb!" Metal Mamemon's gun arm fired the red blast at the lion, only to have it slamming into its crossed arms.

"Is that the best this town has to offer?" GrappLeomon gauged the small digimon, as he extracted himself from the wall.

"No! This is!"

GrappLeomon turned in time to catch the claws that were moving towards him, being pushed back from the force. The two fighters struggled for a moment, before the Perfection twisted himself, throwing the assimilated teen over his shoulder and into another building.

"A bit of strength, but I'm unimpressed, whatever you are." Dusting his arm off, the lion gave a soft snort. "Finding this town's power source will be simple."

A small explosion struck the large digimon's back, knocking him off balance a moment. Glancing back, one of the Mamemon was staggering towards him, trying to collect enough energy for another attack. 

Smirking, GrappLeomon walked to the weakened digimon, grabbing it in his hand and raising it to his height. "I'll allow you a bit of respect. I would not have thought any of you had the energy to get to your feet again. I'll grant you a quick deletion."

"Stop it!" GrappLeomon looked over, as Metal Mamemon finally pulled himself out of the building he had been thrown into. "Leave 'im be, he dun have anything to do with this." Aiming his laser arm at the lion, the cyborg floated steadily.

Throwing the Mamemon away, GrappLeomon's turbines began to spin again, as a grin crossed his face. "You have fight left in you. Good, I haven't had a good battle in some time." Just as he moved to step forward, two arms grabbed under his arm, the lion glancing back to see Black War Humon holding him from behind.

"Energy Bomb!" Metal Mamemon fired another blast of energy into the Perfection digimon, pushing the pair back across the roof. Using the momentum, Erin lifted GrappLeomon off the roof, flipping him over and towards the street below. 

GrappLeomon flipped himself, making a small hole in the concrete as he landed. He grinned, looking up at Black War Humon and Metal Mamemon, who were both starting to float down after him. "Yes! At last, someone worthy of my power! Lion Beast Killing Wave!" He swung both his fists forward, striking the pair as they neared the street level.

Rubbing the spot on his chest where the energy bomb had struck, the lion digimon started forward. "Come on! We're not done yet, are we?"

"Not by a long shot!"

"Bullet Attack!"

Emily and Boarmon's voices rang out, as the digidestined and her partner suddenly began moving with a burst of energy from Boarmon's attack, slamming into GrappLeomon just as he noticed them, and crashing him into a metal wall. The impact left a hole in the metal, with GrappLeomon pushed deep into it. Boarmon back herself up, letting Emily off a good distance away, as she kicked her hooves on the ground.

As Black War Humon and Metal Mamemon flanked the armor digimon, the group watched GrappLeomon grip the sides of the hole, roaring as he pushed the metal away from him. Pulling himself out, he held his side, grimacing as he looked from one opponent to the next. "You think this is over? Lion Beast Killing Wave!"

Erin stepped forward, blocking the strike with his shield. "Actually I think it is. What about you, Emily?"

Emily gave a smile, gripping her D3 tightly in her hand. "Yea. Boarmon, let's take him down!"

Boarmon nodded, bracing her feet. The flames on her body flared for a moment, as she yelled, "Nose Blaster!" The flames lost some of their intensity, as fire streamed out of her nose, creating a flame thrower effect.

"Energy Bomb!" Metal Mamemon fired the charged ball of energy, floating back a little from it.

"Black Tornado!" Black War Humon's body began spinning as he flew at GrappLeomon, the flames turning his attack into a horizontal tornado of flames. As the energy bomb struck the lion off balance, Erin slammed the flaming funnel and his claws into his body, pushing him back into the crate in the wall, before releasing the attack.

Erin pulled GrappLeomon out of the hole, laying his unconscious form on the ground. As they surrounded the Perfection level digimon, they waited a few moments, glancing between them before he finally began to awaken.

Opening his eyes, GrappLeomon looked at the claw that lowered in front of his face. He looked up to Black War Humon's auburn eyes, looking indifferent. "Do it."

Erin blinked at the statement. "What?"

"Delete me. I was defeated, so finish it." The lion digimon sat up on his elbows, putting the claws pressing against his chest.

Emily glanced at Erin, while her partner and Metal Mamemon exchanged look. After a moment, Erin pulled his claw back, bringing a sigh of relief from the human and her partner. "There's no point. You're beaten. Leave peacefully, and you can live."

GrappLeomon stared at the assimilated human in surprise, before giving a soft chuckle. Slowly standing up, he looked at the group surrounding him, giving a soft smile. "Hmmm. Perhaps you are good enough." Kneeling onto the ground, he bowed his head. "I'm at your commend."

Everyone looked at one another in confusion, before Emily stepped forward, being the first to speak up. "At our command? What do you mean?"

GrappLeomon looked over at the Irish girl, a soft smile on his face. "I follow those who can defeat me. It proves to me that I support those who deserve my strength."

Metal Mamemon retracted his claws, landing on the ground, as Boarmon devolved back into Tsukaimon and landed on Emily's shoulder. Glancing between one another, the cyborg spoke next. "Well, who were ye workin fer? You said somethin about Gear's power source."

Nodding, GrappLeomon stood up again. "Yes. I was defeated and told to claim Gear's primary power source."

Erin frowned slightly. "So who gave you that order? Who was it that defeated you?"

As he opened his mouth, GrappLeomon's eyes went wide as a red trident stabbed straight through his body. He leans forward from the shaft going through his body, gripping at it, before his body turned into digital data and dispersed. Emily covered her mouth at the sight, everyone staring in shock where the lion digimon had previously been.

The trident began to shake in the ground, before pulling itself free and flying away. They watched as a hand reached out from behind a structure on top of the roof. The black hand pulled back, before the owner of it stepped out. Two bat wings extended from the figure's shoulders, while it's body was covered with red skin and black leather. A large collar extended from its neck, held together by a golden bat and framing a red head and face with two horns protruding from the forehead. A red tail slapped the roof's surface with the spade shaped end, while the lower body was covered in the black leather, with its boots having similar collar's as around it's neck. The demon looking creature laughed deeply as it gazed down at the small group.

Erin growled softly, pointing his claw at the figure. "Why did you do that?! He never did anything to you." His duel voices rang out angrily.

Smirking slightly, the demon bowed low. "GrappLeomon was at my disposal. It was my right to chose if he lived and died."

"No one has that right!" Emily yelled up, gripping her D3 tightly.

Grunting slightly, the demon man swung his trident out, cleanly slicing it through the structure he had been standing behind before. "Ah, but your wrong. I do have that right. And soon, I'll chose when you do too, little girl."

Jumping into the air, Black War Humon flew at the demon, the half threat pushing him over the edge. Swinging his claw, he was barely able to notice as the demon leapt over him, the blunt end of the trident slamming into his back, sending him crashing into the roof.

Slowly standing up, he looked over, seeing the demon smirking at him. "W…Who are you?"

"Me? You may call me Lord Phelesmon. And soon, you'll know well 'boy'." Leaping into the air, Phelesmon landing on a roof high above Erin, soon out of eyesight.

Growling softly, Erin flew up after Phelesmon, unable to see him when he passed the roof's edge. Floating down, he found Emily and Tsukaimon standing alone in the streets, Metal Mamemon nowhere to be found.

"Where's Metal Mamemon?" Erin landed on the ground, shifting back to his fused form.

"He went to check on the Mamemon that GrappLeomon hit. What happened up there, Erin? Are you alright?"

Erin shrugged the question off slightly for a moment, glancing at the roofs again. "He said his name was Phelesmon. Didn't find much else out before he took off."

Nodding, the Irish girl put a hand on the older boy's shoulder, bringing his attention back to her. "Well, we'll find out later. I need to get back home, and the team needs to know about this." 

Feeling the hand pull at him, Erin gave a last glance at the rooftops, frowning as he followed behind. "Yea… We'll find out later…"

************

Groaning as he landed on the hard floor, Erin blinked as he felt something on his face, looking at a gray body lying on top of him. As Tsukaimon flew off his face, Erin looked over, seeing Emily giggling as she sat on his bed, having landed nicely this time. Blushing a little, Erin sat up, rubbing the back of his head, holding the black coin in his other hand.

Smiling softly, Emily began to shut down her laptop. "Aside from the fighting, how did you like your first trip into the Digital World?"

Leaning against the window's edge, Erin looked out at the red sky, the sun setting behind the buildings across from his. "I liked it. It felt… Well, it felt energizing? Like a breath of fresh air, you know?"

Emily nodded. "It may be because you assimilate into a partially digimon form."

Tsukaimon smiled, lying on Erin's bed. "It uses more of out energy in the real world, then the Digital World, because we are originally from there. Some digimon who are partnered to a human devolve to their second Baby stage in the real world, until they get used to it."

Emily giggled softly. "It is easier sometimes to hide them too." The red head looked over at Erin, as she held the laptop under her arms.

Nodding to the pair, Erin smiled softly. "Hey, mind if I walk you two home? I mean, it is getting late…"

Emily opened her mouth, before she glanced at her tired partner. Handing the laptop to Erin, she walked over, picking up Tsukaimon and holding her partner close. "I'd like that Erin." Walking to the door, she waited, smiling sweetly. "Shall we, sir?"

Erin blushes slightly again, rubbing the back of his head, as he heard Emily start to giggle. Walking over and opening the door, he shook his head as he followed her out, locking the door.

***********

Rocker ~ *whistles* Thank the gods, that chapter is done…

Toy Agumon ~ Why did you have so much trouble with that one?

Rocker ~ No idea. I just kept pausing. But thankfully, I finally got it written out, and can continue on. ^_^

Floramon ~ *giggles softly* Well, we'll see how much trouble Rocker has, since next time, we see what's going on back in Mt. Morris. Stay tuned for the next Dark Diaries!


	13. Entry 13 Old Flames

"Jail cells always seem so dank. It's a wonder anyone gets reformed." Jack sighed softly, as he took a drag off his cigarette. Walking down the hall, he regarded the man in the cells quietly, some from the mob that had attacked the town's so called monster, and others random offenders. He walked up to one with a single occupant in it, as one of the small town's officers walked down the hall, checking on the prisoners. 

"You're in quite a bit of trouble friend. Charges of kidnapping, assaulting a minor, destruction of public property, my the list just keeps growing." Taking another drag, Jack smirked slightly, nudging the rectangle glasses back a little with his free hand as he addressed one of the men that had been in the monster-hunting mob.

The black haired man looked up, frowning. "Why are we being blamed?! That monster set us up!" Standing up, the former mob member walked to the bars of the cell, gripping them tightly. "The police should be thanking us for trying to help the community, not treating us like criminals!"

Blowing a puff of smoke into the man's face, Jack gave him a condescending smile. "Oh my, I guess everyone has it wrong. I mean the person who confessed about kidnapping an orphan girl to use as a hostage must have been completely off their rocker. And that same girl being in the hospital because of the leader of your little glee club must have just fallen on that knife right?"

Glaring, the man reached through the bars, grabbing Jack's black jacket. "Who told you that?!"

Glancing at the hand a moment, the agent took a final puff from his cig, letting it fall to the ground. A moment after the jailed mans eye's glanced at it, he felt his arm being twisted almost out of his socket, forcing him to bend over and being forced to his knees. Giving a cry of pain, he clawed at his arm, looking out of the corner of his eye at the man in the black jacket, holding his arm with one hand.

"Next time, maybe you'll want to trust your little friends more. Of course, I personally think attacking little girls is something you should start taking off your to do list." Releasing the arm, Jack watched the man clutch at his shoulder, before turning and walking back down the hallway. 

Jack walked out of the cell black, yawning softly to himself. He had been running around almost since he had arrived in Mt. Morris, and although he did not want to admit it, it was starting to catch up on him. Walking past a couple more of the local officers, Jack gave that dashing smile at one of the females, before he watched her turn away with a small sniff.

"Wow, so friendly…" He muttered to himself, walked out the backdoor. He took a few steps before he heard someone walking up behind him, turning his head slightly to see the police chief walking towards him. Pushing his glasses up on his nose a little again, her turned around, giving a small grin.

"We just got his fax for you, Agent Wolf." Jack took the offered paper, his grin growing slightly as he skimmed over it. "I can't say I completely agree with this though…"

"Relax, Chief. Now that you've rounded up that little mob you had brewing, your nice quiet little town should stay that way." Jack tucked the fax into one of the pockets inside his jacket. "Just don't mind us, and everything will work out fine."

Frowning, the old man scratched at his graybeard slightly. "But what about that monster? We haven't heard anything about it since we picked these guys up."

Lowering his glasses a second, Jack Wolf gazed at the older man, before his grin returned onto his face. "That's not your problem, Chief." Turning away, the agent walked to his car, leaving the police chief standing in the parking lot as he drove off.

*************

Dark Diaries

Entry 13 "Old Flames"

Written by Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

A/N ~ This chapter is the clean version of Adult Dark Diaries - Entry 2. To see the unedited version, see ADD 2. However, that chapter is only for those who are 18 or older. Please keep this in mind, and enjoy.

*************

It had been four days since Erin's departure, and Ms. Klink was still adjusting. Brian being held for questioning, Jill in the hospital with the digimon that had been staying in the shed, and Erin and Selene no longer in the orphanage, made it seem very quiet. If you did not count when Darien got the notion to start jumping around like crazy, that is. Sighing softly, the orphanage caretaker leaned back on the couch, trying to relax. 

With the young children playing in the backyard, Beverly flipped slowly through the television stations, ignoring the newscasts about the mob incident Erin and Jill had been involved in. After Erin and Jill had given her their sides, she couldn't watch the news without feeling a touch of annoyance. It really got to her how Erin, as Black War Humon as he called himself, got blamed for so much of the destruction.

Finally shutting the TV off in disgust, Beverly laid her head back. With everything that had been thrown at her since arriving at the hospital four days ago, she had barely thought about the other thing that normally would have put her hair on end. Jack Wolf had once again entered her life, and it could not have been a worse time. Not even counting the fact, it seemed Jack was only in Mt. Morris to find out about the digimon incidents. 

Walking into the kitchen, she made herself a small sandwich, trying to get Jack out of her head. The man had no right to come calling on her like he had, giving her a rose and acting as if nothing had changed. The womanizing cur certainly had audacity, if nothing else. As she began mentally ranting over the man's flaws, she decided to ignore the fact she had brought the rose home and put it in a cup of water on her desk.

Finishing her snack, a knock at the front door stopped her before had taken a step out of the kitchen. She frowned slightly, knowing she was not expecting anyone today. Checking herself over, smoothing out the plain shirt and skirt, she went to the front door. Whoever was knocking seemed a bit impatient, keeping a constant rapping on the door as she walked to it. Cracking the door, with the bolt still on, she frowned deeply at what she saw.

Standing on the orphanage's front porch, was the very man Beverly Klink had been cursing about for the last ten minutes. He had a small bit of stubble on his face, and his shirt was unbuttoned a little at the top, looking at haphazard as always. In his hands was a small bouquet of flowers. When he noticed the door was cracked, he gave that Cheshire cat grin of his. "Ahhh, I hoped someone would be home."

Sighing softly, Beverly shut the door enough to undo the bolt and open the door completely, making her frown evident to the man. "What do you want now Jack? I'm not in the mood…"

Ignoring the frown, Jack held the small bouquet of flowers out to her. "I can imagine. One of your wards in the hospital, one being held by the police the incident that put her there, and a third just off and running away. It must be hard on you."

Glancing at the flowers, Ms. Klink crossed her arms under her breasts. "What is it Jack? You wouldn't be here without a reason."

Flashing that grin at her again, Jack walked past her into the orphanage, setting the flowers onto a table as he looks around. "Looks like your doing alright for yourself. Seems like only yesterday you were laying in bed with me, telling me how you wanted to help kids who lost their families."

Frowning deeper, she followed him into the house, until he reached the living room. She grabbed his arm, stopping him and making him face her again. "Jack, I don't have time for this. So if you don't mind, I'd rather you left."

There was that grin again, as Jack reached into a pocket inside his jacket, pulling out a folded piece of paper. "Afraid not. See, You've got a new roommate here for the moment."

Snatching the paper out of Jack's hand, Beverly's frown deepened, not liking where this conversation was going. Opening the folded paper, her eyes slowly widened as she read each line, going over it more then once. "T… They can't do this…" She stammered out at last.

Shrugging slightly, the government agent held his hand out for the paper, folding it when she gave it back. "Actually they can. As of today, I'll be staying here to make sure nothing else happens, as well as another agent specializing in information about digimon, who will be arriving in a day or so."

Beverly felt her knees almost give out on her, catching herself on the back of one of the chairs before she fell. She couldn't believe this was happening. After taking a moment to try and compose herself, she looked back up at him, her face cool and collected again. "Who is this other agent? If they are going to stay in my home, I feel I have the right to know about them."

Jack gave a small shrug, as he flopped himself down onto the couch, setting his feet on the coffee table as he lounged. "His name's Bobby Raven. He's not an agent, per-say… At least not like I am. After all, he's only fifteen years old."

The final statement completely caught Beverly by surprise, taking a seat in the chair she was leaning on, before she really did loose her footing. "Fifteen? But that's…"

"Impossible? Trust me Bev, this kid has a good reason why he is coming. Like I said, he specializes in digimon."

That surreal feeling was starting to flood her senses again. First Erin turning out to be the monster that had been seen around town, then Jack coming back into her life. Now she not only was being forced to live with the bastard, but she also had to house a fifteen year old who was an was tied to the government and those digimon creatures. Finally surpassing what she could handle for the moment, the caretaker of the orphanage promptly passed out in her chair.

*************

As she slowly began to regain consciousness, Beverly rubbed her forehead, feeling a small headache forming. Looking around the living room, she didn't see any sign of Jack, the only thing that showed he had been there was the bouquet of flowers on the table near the room's entrance. Slowly standing up, she sniffed softly, the smell of food catching her attention. The younger kids new better then to try and cook, which only left one answer.

She proved herself right, as she walked into the dining room, seeing the three younger children sitting at the table with Jack, eating a large pepperoni pizza from the pizza place down the street. She stared at the sight, not even realizing a conversation was going on at the table, before the main focus of her nightmare started to wave at her.

"Here I thought you were going to miss dinner. I got you a cheese pizza to split with Mary." He pointed to the second box under the first that she hadn't noticed. "We all agreed to split one, and you two can split the other."

Numbly walking to the table, she took her seat and got herself a couple slices, slowly starting to eat. The food helped her head clear the cobwebs that had been forming, finally letting her try and think through all off this.

"So tell us what happened next, Jack!' Darien was practically on the edge of his seat as he ate his pizza. "Did you get out of the trap alive?"

Beverly blinked at the young boy's question, raising an eyebrow at Jack, who rubbed the back of his head slightly. "Of course I did. I wouldn't be here, if I hadn't. See, after the Kingpin locked me in the meat locker, he forgot to check me over completely. I took a small hairpin I saved just for special occasions, and popped the lock. After that, it was easy getting out, since the tubby idiot had already left the building, figuring I was dead."

"Wow… You must be, like, famous!" Angela smiled at the older man, ignoring her food.

Jack waved his hand slightly. "No, I prefer keeping everything low key. Having everyone know who you are really makes being a secret agent hard work." Looking over at Beverly, who was glaring rather heatedly at him, Jack cleared his throat slightly. "But that's enough stories."

Angela and Darien both groaned slightly, trying to ask more about what it was like to be a secret agent, but he refused to answer. "Finish your dinner, children. It's already getting close to bedtime, and you all still need to take your baths." The two louder children quickly went quiet at the tone of her voice. Mary, who had been quiet the whole time, just ate without a comment.

The rest of the night went quietly, as Beverly helped the three children take their baths, finally putting them to bed. Whenever Angela or Darien would ask her something about Jack, she simply said they would discuss it in the morning. Her mood did not turn for the better when she realized Jack had mentioned he would be staying with them for the time being. 

As she started to tuck Mary into her bed, she noticed the girl was fidgeting slightly. "Mary, is something wrong?"

Mary looked at her caretaker with those quite eyes, before she spoke. "Is everyone going away, Ms. Klink?"

Beverly had been expecting this question ever since Selene had left, as she gave the young girl a gentle smile. "Why do you ask?"

The red head fidgeted a little again, before she answered. "First Ms. Selene left because she got a family. Now Mr. Erin and Mr. Brian are both gone. Are we all going to leave too?"

Stroking Mary's hair softly, Beverly noticed Angela peeking out from under her covers. It seemed the shy one of the pair was not the only one worried. "We are not going anywhere. You know you are all looking for families to take you in, and we should be happy that one finally picked Selene. Erin had to go on a trip for a little while, and Brian is in trouble right now, which is why he isn't staying here. But we aren't going anywhere, small one. All right?"

At the young girl's nod, she kissed the shy twin's forehead softly. "Now it is time for you both to go to sleep. We'll talk about anything else in the morning." She directed the last comment towards Angela's bed, as she turned the little night light on for them, and closed the door to a crack.

Walking down the stairs, Beverly went straight through the living room and kitchen, stepping out onto the back porch. Letting her eyes gaze at the starlit sky, she let her mind wander, hugging herself as she tried not to let her thoughts focus on the things that had been troubling her lately. As she finally started to relax, another pair of arms wrapped around her body, followed by another warm body pressing against her back.

"A warm moonlit night… What more could you ask, for a romantic evening?" Jack whispered in her ear softly, giving her a small squeeze.

"I could ask to be by myself…" She retorted quietly, glancing back at the man for a moment, before watching the stars again.

"You wound me, Beverly. Can you honestly tell me you don't think about all those times we were together? How good we were at keeping one another warm?"

Beverly shivered slightly as she felt him nibble her ear slightly. "I remember a man who enjoyed keeping as many women warm as he could. Why should I think otherwise now?"

A soft nibble on her neck answered her, as her arms pressed her back against his chest. "I was a college kid who was too stupid to know a good thing when I had it. Would you really hold that against me?"

Her neck arched slightly, letting his mouth nibble easier. "And that is different from now?" Her retort didn't have her normal barb to it, as she felt his lips on her neck, making her skin break out in goose bumps. She lifted her arms, letting him hug her closer, and laying her arms on top of his. She gave a soft gasp as she felt him bite down gently for a moment.

"Can you honestly say you didn't miss me?" His hands started to rub at her stomach through her shirt, as he whispered in her ear again. "Can you tell me you didn't miss this?" 

Her body was trembling slightly, the tone in his voice arousing her as well as annoying her. To a point, she hated that he knew her buttons so well, something he had always tried to use whenever she was mad at him. Of course, not having been with someone in so long made it that much harder to resist. Trying to gather her resolve, Beverly slowly pulled his arms open, reluctantly pulling herself away from his touch.

"Jack, we shouldn't…" She let go of his hands, pausing a minute, before she turned around to face him. "It's been too lo…" Her sentence was cut off as a pair of lips met hers, two hands cupping her cheeks. She tried to pull herself away, pushing slightly at his shoulders, but as he held the kiss, she slowly relaxed into it, letting her arms drape over his shoulders.

Beverly pulled away from the kiss finally, panting softly as she stared into his eyes, twin pools of blue and gray holding her for a moment, before she muttered softly. "You're a bastard, Jack Wolf…" She kissed his cheek softly, as she pressed herself against him again.

Chuckling softly, Jack let his hands slip around her hips, cupping her ass and squeezing each cheek firmly. He listened to the soft moan she gave as he massaged her rear end, rubbing his crotch against hers a little as he felt her hips moving slightly.

"We… We should go inside…" She stammered softly as she felt him grinding against her slightly.

Giving her butt a pinch, Jack started to pull away, before he slide an arm over her shoulders. She leaned against him, as they walked back into the house.

************

Moonlight streamed down from the sky, illuminating a man in dark clothing as he knelt down in front of the back door of the Mt. Morris Orphanage. Fiddling with the piece of wire he was using to try and pick the lock, he was finally rewarded as he heard it click open. Dropped the wire, the man pulled his cloth mask over his head so only his eyes could be seen, before he walked into the house on his tiptoes.

The intruder grinned to himself under the mask. This was proving to be much easier then he had anticipated. His boss had told him this was going to be a difficult job, but he still didn't see what one woman and a couple little kids could do to stop him.

"You know, I think you're a little old for this place." The masked man looked around quickly, unsure where the voice had come from. After a moment, a small red dot appeared from the doorway to the next room, with a small trail of smoke coming from it. Reaching for the firearm on his belt, he gave a yell as he felt a bullet rip through his palm.

Holding his bleeding hand, the intruder fell to his knees, crying softly from the pain in his hand. He barely noticed the laser pointer aiming for his heart, before he looked up at the man in the shadows. "W...Why…?"

Jack stepped out of the shadows of the doorway, his cigarette hanging slightly from his mouth, and a pistol with a silencer attached aimed at the man on the tile floor. "Consider me this place's Guardian Angel." Stepping up to the man, he slammed the butt of his gun into the masked man's temple, knocking him out cold.

Kicking the bleeding hand onto the unconscious man's chest, Jack took a deep drag of his cigarette. Tempted as he was to send the guy back as an example to whoever sent him, getting him off the streets so he couldn't try this again was more important. Shivering at the slight breeze, Jack walked over and picked up the small piece of wire the man had been trying to open the lock with.

"I can't believe he actually thought this would work…" Snapping the wire between his fingers easily, Jack shut and locked the door completely, as he grabbed the cordless phone. Dialing the number as he kept his gun trained on the man, Jack gave a small smirk. "911? This is Agent Jack Wolf. Can you send a police car over to the orphanage to pick up an intruder? Thanks."

************

Yawning softly, Beverly Klink slowly opened her eyes. She was still a little surprised at herself for giving into Jack. Maybe he really had changed? Not likely, but she would deal with that later.

Quickly throwing her dark green robe on, the caretaker glanced around the room. She was curious where Jack was, since she expected him to wake her up like he used to. She blushed at the memory of how creative Jack got sometimes, as she walked down the stairs to start preparing breakfast.

"Well at least the flight had a good movie. It's about the most entertainment you'll have for awhile coming here." Jack's voice came from the living, stopping Beverly before she reached the kitchen, as she glanced at the doorway curiously.

"That's what I heard. I'm just hoping I don't die of boredom!" Laughter followed from the unfamiliar voice, a young boy by the sound of it. As Beverly looked into the living room, as she saw a blond teen sitting in one of the chairs, an energetic grin on his face. Wearing a brown T-shirt and jeans, the blond boy glanced over, a slight blush touching his cheeks.

At the boy's silence, Jack looked over, grinning as he saw Beverly standing in the doorway. Walking over to her, Jack tightened the front of her robe, which had accidentally shown a little more then she had realized, making the older woman blush as well. "Bobby Raven, meet Beverly Klink. She's the caretaker of the orphanage."

Bobby stood up, giving a smile as nodded to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope we won't be a bother."

Beverly blinked as she looked at the young man. "We?"

At the question, a small pink bird popped out from behind the chair, standing as tall as the boy's knees. "Hello Ma'am. My name is Piyomon. Thank you for letting us stay here."

The older woman stared at the talking bird for a moment, Jack's arm holding her shoulders keeping her from loosing her balance. "Y…You're welcome…"

Jack smiled. "How about I make breakfast for the kids. Bobby, will you walk her through this, so she knows what's going on?" Walking the woman to the couch, he watched the boy nod and sit as he made sure Beverly wasn't going to pass out on him.

As Jack walked out of the room to prepare the meal, Bobby rubbed the back of his head slightly. "Well I guess I should explain the basics…"

************

Floramon ~ *smiles* That wasn't that bad, Rocker. It seemed more like it had a reason then the last one.

Toy Agumon ~ And Jack's a bad ass!

Rocker ~ *sweat drops, as he watches Toy Agumon imitating some of Jack's scenes* Um… Thanks…

Floramon ~ 


	14. Entry 14 Stepping Out

Erin knelt on the floor, glancing around quickly. Running wasn't an option, since they had him surrounded, but he couldn't just fight back. Four on one were not odds he liked. The choice was taken from him, as his opponents lunged, pushing him to the floor.

"Oh no! How will I ever survive?!" Erin laughed, as he rolled on the floor under the four children. Every time he pinned one of them, the others kept him from getting back to his feet. The tussling continued for a few minutes, laughter filling the abandoned building.

"Kids! It's time for dinner!" The children looked between one another, before running off, heading down the stairs to the second floor. Erin sat up, chuckling softly as he noticed the mother of two of the kids standing in the doorway still, watching him.

The older woman smiled at Erin. "You do spoil them, coming down to play with them during the day like this." She brushed the brown hair out of her face, having a few wrinkles already showing on her pale skin.

Erin rubbed the back of his neck, giving a sheepish grin. "I don't mind, Mrs. Trent. It makes them smile." He stood up, walking over to the doorway, just able to hear the children's voices from their meal downstairs.

Mrs. Trent sighed, giving Erin a gentle smile. "We do appreciate it. You've been a big help keeping their spirits up. Thank you." Touching his shoulder a moment, the older woman walked down the stairs, yelling something Erin couldn't understand at the loud children.

Erin stared down the stairs a moment, rubbing his hand over the left side of his chest absently. Ever since he had started interacting with the other people in the building, he had been having small pains in his chest, around the same area as his heart. Absently, he know the feeling felt familiar, but no matter how much he tried to remember where from, he couldn't place it.

Shaking his head, Erin headed up the stairs towards his room. He had a few hours to try and get ready before Emily and her team showed up. The Irish girl had invited him along with the group's annual outing, and he still needed to jump into the Digital World to grab a quick bath. "I'm getting way too used to cold bathes..."

*************

Dark Diaries

Entry 14 "Stepping Out"

Written by Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

*************

"So tell me about yourself, Erin."

Erin scratched the back of his head as he looked in the front seat. "Well, Mrs. Pern, there isn't much to tell."

"Oh come now, a young man like yourself must have many things to do. Don't you have any hobbies or after school activities?"

'Unless you could battling Digimon...' Erin thought, as the older woman watched him in the rear view mirror. "Not really. I talk with Sue and her friends, but that's about it."

"Mom, stop pestering him! I told you he was a little shy." Sue blurted out, sitting next to her mother. Wearing a pink shirt with a small kitten on it, and a pair of blue jeans, the young girl looked like a smaller version of her mother.

"Oh my, I'm sorry Erin. By the way Sue, will that Maxwell boy be at this? He's such a nice young man after all."

Blushing slightly, Sue fidgeted a little in her seat. "Of course he'll be there mom, he's always there!"

Erin laughed softly as he listened to the pair go back and forth about the African American member of the Detroit team of Digi-Destined. From the tones of the voices, it sounded as if they had gone through this discussion before. Despite the blush in her cheeks, Sue continued to argue that she and Max were only friends, while her mother just kept bringing up his good points.

After they pulled into the parking lot of the bowling alley, Sue quickly jumped out of the car, pulling Erin out as well. She gave a sigh of relief when her mother drive off. Glancing around, the blonde girl smiled brightly as she looked at the front entrance, grabbing the taller boy's arm and dragging him inside.

Loud music assaulted the brown haired teen's ears as they walked inside, making him wince slightly. It felt like he could feel the music making his body vibrate. Blinking a couple times, Erin barely noticed when the employee behind the counter asked for his shoe size for the third time. Answering with a blush, he noticed Sue already holding her shoes, giggling softly as he took his own, before following her again.

Erin glanced around, feeling uneasy as he looked through the people. While almost everyone around him seemed to be in the same age range as Sue and him, it had been a long time since he had been in such a crowded place. The one time Ms. Klink had taken him Christmas shopping a few days before the holiday was almost as bad as this, save it was nowhere near as loud. Although the Diversity of culture seemed similar to Flint, having various types of people hanging out, semi-blended together.

"Hey, you takin' off already?"

Jumping slightly, Erin glanced over to the voice, looking at the dark skin of the boy who had called out to him. With an almost buzz cut on his head, the boy's gray eyes watched Erin a moment, before he walked over. A large robot with a green bladed scythe in it's hand was on the young man's T-shirt, and a pair of cut jean shorts showed rather muscular legs as he stepped up.

"Erin, right?" The teen nodded slightly in response. "Nice to meet you finally. "I'm Max."

As Max held his hand out, Erin blinked a moment, finally noticing Emily and Sue both laughing a little from behind the young boy. Shaking the offered hand, Erin walked back over to the lanes. He recognized Greg quickly as he sat down, looking away from the slight glare to the young girl sitting at the scoreboard. Although she looked similar to Greg, she seemed a little younger then everyone else, while they way her hair was pulled back nicely, she almost seemed more mature then everyone else. She never even looked up as Erin started to pull his bowling shoes on, making him wonder if she was simply the shy type or something.

"I'm glad you made it, Erin." Emily smiled as she tapped the unknown girl on the shoulder. The serious look turned from the scores to Emily, and then to Erin, before the Irish girl continued. "This is our fifth member, Hilary Jones. Hilary, this is Erin, the boy from up north."

Hilary nodded slightly. "Greg told me about you. If you've irritated my brother this badly, you're probably a nice person." Ignoring the sputters from her brother, the brunette turned back to the scores, showing a small pad of paper setting on the counter in front of her.

Erin stared a second, a little surprised at the greeting, when Sue plopped down next to him. "Don't mind her Erin. Hilary is always preoccupied with something or another. If she tried, she could compete with Koushiro or Carter, in the studying department!"

"I doubt that," Max said, plopping down on the other side of Sue. "I mean, Hilary is smart, but she only does enough work to get part with decent grades, unless something peeks her interest." The darker boy ruffled the blonde's hair slightly, giving a wide grin at her attempts to fix it. "Not like Sue here. she has trouble keeping her nose in any books besides romance novels!"

Erin gave a small laugh as he watched the playful argument start up between the pair, finally settling down when Emily stopped Sue from chasing Max out into the lanes.

As the get together finally started to get underway, Erin's nervousness faded a little. Even though he was the second to lowest scorer by the time the first game was finished, the teen's anxieties felt like they had gone on vacation. Although Greg still had his stand-offish attitude, and Hilary was a bit gone in her own world, the other three members of the team were more then friendly, trying to get the orphan to relax with them more.

*************

"So what's it like?"

Erin glanced over at Max as the pair walked to the concession area, to get everyone's drinks and fries. "How does what feel?"

Max looked around, making sure no one was in earshot, before he spoke softly. "Turning into a Digimon. I mean, how cool is that!"

Scratching the back of his head, Erin frowned a little. "It's hard to describe... I mean, I just do it, you know?" I've never really paid too much attention to how it feels..."

Putting his hands behind his back, Max whistled softly. "Wow... I wish I could do something like that. Then I could get into it along side Hagurumon instead of having to watch from the sidelines."

Erin wrinkled his nose as he thought about his new friend's words, waiting until Max made the order and the cashier walked away. "It's not all it's cracked up to be..."

Max waves his hand as he took a seat at the counter, acting as if he hadn't heard Erin. "What I wouldn't give to be a hero... I mean, flying in the sky, beating up the bad guys. Maybe I could convince Carter to make me a mecha or something."

Erin arched his brow as he listened. "Carter?"

"Carter's a member of the Edmonton team. Didn't you ever look at who's who on the CD Emily gave you, or read more of the responses to the post you put up?" Erin shook his head to both pointed, making the young boy sigh softly. "Well, he's a brain type, kinda like Koushiro. Except, instead of a hacking type, he's more of an inventor. Although a lot of us joke that he's like a mad scientist or something."

Erin laughed at the joke, nodding. Looking around a little as Max continued, he noticed Sue running towards them, waving her hand. Just as she was about to get to the counter, a pair of teens stepped from around one of the tables, running into Sue's shoulder and knowing her into one of the crane machines. As the blonde rubbed her shoulder slightly, she looked up at the two boys, both about Erin's age and dark skin tones then Max had, making them stand out next to the girl.

"Oh I'm sorry. I didn't mean to run into you." Sue said sweetly, still rubbing her shoulder.

"You should be sorry, little bitch." The taller of the pair said, giving an ugly look at the young girl. "Bet yer mom never taught ya to watch where ya was runnin, huh?" The shorter boy laughed a little.

"Hey, lay off." The pair glanced over as Max walked up, standing next to Sue. "She said she's sorry, so leave it alone."

"And what if we don't wanna lay off? Maybe we wanna teach the little white bitch a lesson, hmm?"

"Try touching her, and you go through me first." Max stepped in front of the blonde girl, not noticing the startled look on her face. The Digi-destined glared at the pair defiantly, almost daring them to try something as a small crowd formed around the four of them.

"And me..." Erin stepped past a couple people, wearing a pair of sunglasses as he moved next to Max. He could hear the talk of a fight starting from the crowd, making him a little edgy. "So how about we just drop it, and leave it alone? That way, no one gets hurt, you know?"

"Oh, Mr. Cool here doesn't want anyone to get hurt?" The taller boy said, smirking as he tossed his jacket to someone behind him. "Well, what if we want someone to get hurt, hmm?" The smaller teen was almost bouncing behind him, holding his fists in front of him as he nodded in agreement with his friend.

Max crossed his arms, frowning slightly as he noticed Erin stepping forward. "Well it's too bad you two are going to be the ones hurt..."

The orphan face a deep grin, getting a look from Sue and Max, before a hand came between the standing off pair. Erin gave a soft growl as he looked at the hand's owner, an older man wearing a bowling alley's employee shirt. The adult stepped between Erin and the taller boy, keeping himself from touching them as he made sure he was in the middle. "Alright, shows over! Everybody, go back to your games."

As the crowd started to disperse, the employee looked at the pair, frowning. "Jerome, Danny, I told you both before not to start things. Head home, before I decide to call the police."

Glaring at the man, the taller boy --Jerome it seemed-- grabbed his jacket and put it back on. Letting his glare shift to the three teens as he started past, he kept his mouth shut before exiting the building with Danny following right behind.

Turning his attention to the trio, the old man almost blinked at the glare coming from behind Erin's sunglasses. Max put his hand on Erin's arm, getting his attention from the employee as he stepped forward to talk. "Thanks Mr. James. I'm sorry this got out of hand."

Mr. James gave a sniff as he looked Erin over again. "No problem. Your lucky your friend saw it starting, before it got worse. Else, I would have kicked you all out. Now get going, before I change my mind about letting you stay."

Watching Mr. James walk off, Sue stepped forward, tugging on the pair's sleeves to get their attention. "Thank you guys. Oh, Emily asked me to tell you she wanted a Diet Coke, instead of a normal one." The blonde smiled brightly for a moment, before running back to the rest of their group, acting as if nothing had happened.

Max laughed at the startled look on Erin's face, as he led the older teen back towards the food area, finding their drinks and fries waiting for them. After correcting Emily's drink, they picked up the refreshments and started back.

"Is she always like that?" Erin asked, doing his best to hold two drinks under his arms and a small basket of fries in his hands.

Max looked over, giving a grin and nod. "Yep. Sue tries to get along with everyone. Hell, she got kidnapped once because she was being nice to this stranger she met. Lucky for her, she was already partnered with Floramon, and that is one digimon I hate seeing pissed. I almost felt sorry for the guy after. Almost."

Erin laughed softly as he nodded in agreement, handing the drinks out and setting the food on their table. As the excitement, of Sue describing how Max and Erin had 'rushed to her rescue', began to wear off, Erin clenched his hand tightly, finally taking the shades off and putting them into his pocket. Rolling the black coin around in his palm, he ignored the small argument that Greg and sue were getting into.

'Why did I fuse?' He wondered to himself, his eyes staring down the alley blankly. 'Heck, why did I try and instigate that guy... I hate fighting...' Opening his hand, he looked at the coin, watching the light reflect off the surface as he pondered to himself.

"Erin!" The orphan closed his hand as he jumped, looking up at Emily in surprise. "Erin, it's your turn. Want to come back to planet Earth and finish your game?"

Looking around, Erin noticed everyone's attention was on him now, making his cheeks darken as he stuffed the coin back into his pocket. "Y...Yea... I'm just a little tired, I guess."

The Irish girl watched him a moment before nodding. Letting the issue drop, the group continued their games, having a good twenty minutes before their parents would come to get them when they stopped. Getting everything together, the six teens started to walk towards the front entrance.

"Wow, I almost won that time!" Sue squealed in delight. "Next time, Erin Storm, I'm gonna beat your butt into the ground though!"

Erin laughed as he listened to Max start to tease sue about making jokes like that, when she had been in last place almost every game. As they stepped outside, the orphan scratched at the back of his neck slightly, feeling an uncomfortable itch as they waited outside for their parents to collect them.

"Does anyone else have a weird feeling?" Erin turned his head as he heard Greg talk, noticing the frown on his face was deeper then normal. Looking at the other Digi-destined, he noticed they each seemed to be nodding in agreement, glancing around cautiously. As they stepped into the parking lot a few steps, a creaking behind them caught the teen's attention. Turning his head, Erin's eyes went wide as he saw the large bowling ball that sat on top of the bowling alley starting to give way.

"Everyone, look out!" Taking a step away from the giant ball, Erin's yell caught the others attention. As it started to fall from the roof, the group spread apart, moving out of the way easily, as they watched it hit the ground and crack down the middle.

Erin frowned as a cackling laughter came from the roof. Looking up, he saw what had to be one of the ugliest things he had ever seen in his life. The creatures sitting on the roof had gapping mouths, looking like some deformed goblin with gray fur. Two small bat wings extended from behind each head, with a small, red Mohawk running down their heads.

The imp-like creatures danced around the roof cackling, before they leapt into the air. About a dozen appeared in the sky, somehow using the small wings to keep afloat, before they dispersed. One group of three flew in one direction down the street, while another took another three took to the other direction. The remaining six went straight overhead, taking off over some of the buildings.

"We need to stop them, before they cause too much trouble." Emily stepped forward, taking her D3 out of her pocket. "We'll have to split up, if we want to handle all of those Evilmon as quickly as possible."

Erin watched the group nodding, the individual attitudes having been exchanged for the serious demeanor before him. "I'll handle the big pack. Coin Fusion." Gripping the coin in his pocket, he stared with red eyes as the energy shifted into his body, moving to follow his targets immediately.

"Alright. Max, your with Erin." The assimilated teen paused as he heard the Irish girl, tempted to protest, but deciding against it. "Sue, you come with me. Greg, you and Hilary follow the ones going west." As everyone nodded again, the two groups took off after their targets as their digimon appears from their hiding places and joined their partners. Erin watched as a large gear with eyes and hands floated down next to Max.

"Alright, lets do it, Hagurumon!" As the Digi-destined called out, Hagurumon's form began to glow as a small pillar of light formed around it.

"Hagurumon evolve...!" Soon enough, the gear digimon was replaced by a stout robot, easily a foot taller then Erin. It had an off tan colored body, and long arms with claws that dragged on the ground slightly. The top looked like a glass cockpit, which appeared to be right when it opened and Max jumped into inside it. As the lid shut over the young boy, the robotic arms stretched to its sides for a moment, before it finished its evolution. "Mecha Norimon!"

Erin gave a small grin as he watched the robot digimon take off from the rockets on its back, remembering the comments about wanting a Mecha that Max had said earlier. "Digital Assimilation!" Stretching his arms out to his sides, Erin was soon replaced with the armored form of Black War Humon, soon taking off into the air after his new friend.

It didn't take long for the pair to catch up, watching the six Evilmon hopping around the street. The place looked as if everyone had already been scared away, while the digimon seemed to be enjoying the destruction they were causing, jumping on cars and breaking random things.

Max landed a few feet away, watching for a moment before yelling at the delinquent digimon. "Alright. Knock it off and come along peacefully, or your gonna have trouble!" He barely reacted as Erin landed next to him, watching the small demon quietly.

All of the Evilmon looked at the pair as the words came out of the teen's mouth. Glancing between one another for a moment, they all seemed to clutch at their throats simultaneously. Erin wondered if they all had something stuck in their throats, before all six faces turned towards them.

"Nightmare Shock!" The voices called out together, as they spit small balls of lightning out of their mouths. Erin dodged to the side, hearing the explosions connect as he ducked behind one of the damaged cars. As the smoke cleared, he blinked, seeing that not only was Mecha Norimon was still standing, but Max was grinning in the cockpit.

"What was that, a tickle? Heh, lets show them how to do it, Mecha Norimon!" Raising it's arms, the robot boosted off the ground, soon firing forward and into two of the Evilmon, driving them further down the road.

Black War Humon shook his head as the remaining digimon watched their allies, before turning back to him. Stepping out from behind the car, he stood in the middle of the street, giving a small grin as the small demon circled around him. "Well, this should be entertaining..."

*************

Max watched the black flecks of data float away as Mecha Norimon's arm pulled out of the building where he had just slammed the second Evilmon. "Good job, Mecha Norimon. Lets head back and see if Erin has everything under control."

Floating into the air, the robot digimon turned and floated back down the road. Max grinned, hoping to see Erin in action. After hearing Emily describe the two times she watched Black War Humon in action, he had been itching to see it for himself. The smile turned into a look of confusion as they reached the place they had left Erin, finding neither the assimilated teen nor the other Evilmon.

"Hey, Mecha Norimon. Can you find Black War Humon?"

"Scanning." The robotic voice rang out, as a couple lights flashed on the panel in front of the human. "Anomaly detected above the buildings, along with one Evilmon. No other digital targets are detected in this area."

Grinning again, Max nodded. "Alright, get us up there!" The African American boy watched as the top of the building came into view, but gave a look of shock as they passed the roof's edge.

Floating in the air was Black War Humon, his dark armor gleaming slightly from the streetlights below, while holding the last Evilmon in his claws. With his back to Max and his partner, neither could see much as they watched.

"So, you think it's fun? Break things and scaring people?" The duel voices rang out as Erin spoke, turning his head as he held the digimon out to his side in one hand. The dark smile on his face caught Max by surprise. "Well, your friends didn't seem to like how I broke them... Let's see how you like it!"

Black War Humon threw the demon digimon into the side of the next building, floating slowly over to it as it tried to shake off the shock of the impact. Just as it pulled itself out of the building, the assimilated digimon's claws stabbed into the small body of the Adult.

"I guess not... Oh well..." The casual tone in Erin's voice sent a chill up Max's spine, turning his head as he saw the claws rip the Evilmon in two, before it broke into data.

Landing on the rooftop, Max jumped out of the cockpit of his partner, staring at Black War Humon landed on the roof, his back still to the human. A few minutes passed, before the human/digimon hybrid lowered his head. He seemed to stare at his claws for a few moments, still not saying a word, before he took off, disappearing into the darkness of the night sky.

*************

Erin stared at the ceiling of the run down room he called home for the moment, sighing to himself. It had been a couple hours since the Evilmon attack, and he still couldn't get himself to fall asleep. Every time he started to relax, his mind went back to the fight, replaying the brutal way he had ripped the small demons apart.

'Maybe I was right... Maybe I am becoming a monster...' Standing up, the orphan walked to the window, looking out at the street of the busy town. People were still up and about, even at this time of night. Couples walking together, people buying groceries, all so care free. 'I wish I could go back to that. Back to just being a teenager, when my worst worry was how to tell Selene how I feel...'

Wincing slightly, Erin grimaced at the slight pain in his chest again. He still wasn't sure why it was hurting, but he finally remembered why it felt familiar. It was a dull version of what he had felt when his parents had died. The pain that the psychiatrist had said he was making up. Sighing softly, he tried to ignore the sting as he walked back to the laptop Emily was letting him borrow. Starting it up, he opened the Digital Gate program, hesitating a moment before he fused and held his hand to the computer. "Digi-Port open!"

*************

Across the street from the abandoned building, a tall figure watched the young teen at his window before he turned away and a flash of light signaled his disappearance. Stepping from the shadows, Phelesmon gave a dark laugh before he turned and walked back into the again.

*************

Rocker ~ Ye Goddess, I'm glad that's done...

ToyAgu ~ You really are having trouble, aren't you.

Rocker ~ *frowns* Hey, you're my muse, you know. My inability to write is partially your fault.

ToyAgu ~ *grins and rubs the back of his head* Oh, I think I need to get going! *The little gray dino runs off*

Flora ~ *giggles* Well, be that as it may, the chapter is done now. Next time, we return to Mt. Morris, as a new orphan is introduced to the Orphanage. But when the new addition shows a bit of an attitude problem, can the other kids handle it? Find out next time, on the next Dark Diaries!


	15. Entry 15 Broken

"Stupid little girl! Can't do anything right..."

Touching her cheek, the young girl watched as her father marched out of her room, slamming the door behind him. The sting from his hand connecting with her cheek was still fresh. Her eyes glared at the closed door as she slowly got to her feet, muttering curses no parent would let their fourteen year old even know.

Glancing in her mirror, she frowned slightly. Her blond hair was disheveled, tossed about every which way, and the red mark on her right cheek made a perfect hand print. She stared at herself with her crystal blue eyes, as she picked up a small container of makeup she had stolen from the school's drama club, and started to cover the mark, wincing slightly with each stroke of the brush she was using.

Finishing the cover up, she sighed. Fidgeting the black nightgown she wore when she slept, along with the matching underwear, she walked to her closet, sliding it open. Nearly all the clothing was the same color as her lingerie, the small closet light letting her see what was what. Even though it was four in the morning, her father's temper tantrums always ended with her being woken up, normally rather violently.

"And to think everyone thinks he's so normal..." She muttered to herself, as she pulled out a T-shirt and leather skirt, tossing them onto the bed. "Bet they would love to find out Mr. Normal was an abusive prick..." She shook her head, as she started to brush her hair out in front of the mirror, watching as it hung lower then her shoulders a little bit. "Get real Alice... Who would believe anything like that, from someone like me?"

Sighing softly, Alice pulled the gown off, tossing it into the dresser, before she started to rummage for a clean set of underwear. Picking out a lace pair of panties and the matching bra, she glanced in the mirror again, admiring how her bust had filled out. She had just recently started to fit well into her mother's old clothes, expanding her wardrobe decently for the first time in years.

Putting her black robe on, the blonde girl collected her clothing, carrying it into the bathroom. She wrinkled her nose at the state of the trailer she lived in with her dad, bottles and cans everywhere, making the house reek of alcohol. She was glad when she hear snoring coming from the living room, drowning out the sound of some show on the TV.

Stepping into the small bathroom, Alice threw her clothes on the counter, hanging up her robe, before starting to run warm water into the tub. Locking the door, to keep her father out if he woke up.

Settling into the water, Alice gave a soft sigh. Her morning bath was the only time she had to herself, normally. Since her father lived off food stamps and odd jobs, he was almost always home, meaning she went out of the house any chance she could. Usually it was clubbing clubbing and finding someone who thought she looked older then she was, and using them for a place to sleep. Luckily, she had collected a couple select people she could count on, when it didn't pan out.

Shaking her head, she sat up in the tub, turning the water off . After a good hour, she walked out of the bathroom, her black baby-t and leather skirt on, and her hair in a small ponytail.

Grabbing her backpack out o her room, with the normal overnight items, the Goth walked into the living room. As she walked out of the trailer, she shut the door, noticing a note taped to it. Glancing around, she didn't see anyone around, and it didn't look like an eviction notice. 'He was probably too drunk to see it...' Looking closer, she read the badly scrawled note.

'We have a lead on the beast. We'll meet the informant tomorrow.'

Alice shook her head, frowning at the note. Because of the monster attacks around town, her father had enjoyed taking his anger about not finding jobs out on her, using her like a small punching bag at times. Of course, the ass print in the couch said it wasn't entirely the incident's faults. Shrugging, she brushed the thought off, walking down the steps and putting on the pair of black, knee-high boots that she had hidden under the porch. They were one of the few things she kept hidden, so her father wouldn't pawn them.

"Sleep well, old man. I hope you choke to death on your booze..." Alice said under her breath, as she walked to the main street. The local bus stop was on the other side of the small town, but the four hour wait was better then sitting around the house, waiting for her supposed parent to wake up.

*~*~*~*

Alice sighed to herself, as she brought herself out of the memory. It was surprising how fast a couple weeks could go by, when you avoid home. Watching the houses go by, she glanced at the police in the front of the squad car, frowning at their backs. She was still annoyed at being picked up at the club her friend had gotten her into, even if she wasn't old enough, and being forced to sit in the police station over night. What made it worse, was hearing her old man was the reason why it happened, although no one would tell her what he had done.

Now she was being taken to the Mt. Morris orphanage, to stay as a ward of the courts, since her dad would be going straight to jail, once he was out of the hospital. The lord only knew what had happened to put him in there. She didn't mind this too much though, since it would, hopefully, be a nicer place to live then the trailer, and if she didn't like it, she could take off like she always did.

Looking outside, she watched the car pull to a stop in front of a two story house, looking fairly basic. It already gave her that 'ma kettle' feeling. As the officer opened her door, she swung her backpack over her shoulder, stepping out and following behind him. She looked up at the sky, feeling a couple droplets of rain hitting her skin as the dark sky started to come overhead. It was just turning into the perfect morning...

************

Dark Diaries

Entry 15 "Broken"

Written by Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

A/N ~ This chapter is the edited version of ADD Entry 4. If you are not of legal age for where you live, please don't go reading that one. It has adult content in it. Please enjoy the chapter! ^_^

************

"Now I expect all of you to be on your best behavior. We have a new child coming to stay today." Ms. Klink addressed the four children who were sitting on the couch. Jill was wearing one of her white sundresses, while Mary and Angela had matching blue dresses, although Angela continuously kept fidgeting with her shoulder straps. Darien wore a pair of black dress pants and a nice white shirt, although he kept trying to tug the collar loose, no matter how many times he was told to leave it alone.

Glancing behind her, the orphan's caretaker looked over her home's other residents. Witchmon was in another chair, a light blue dress of Jill's letting the digimon almost look human, if not for her hands. The small feline that seemed to follow her around was lying in her lap, purring as the witch's fingers stroked at it's back. Jack and Bobby hadn't dressed for the occasion, the Digi-destined wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, while the agent was in his normal black jacket and pants, the white shirt under the jacket undone near the top.

"Ms. Klink, can I please unbutton the collar?" Darien pouted, giving another tug. "Jack gets to wear his undone..."

Beverly frowned, flashing an icy glare at Jack before she leaned down to straight the young boy's collar again. "Now Darien, I told you before, don't mimic Jack. He's a very bad role model. You should try and look up to Bobby, since he's such a young gentleman."

At the doorbell, Ms. Klink did another glance around, the only differences being Bobby's slightly blush for her compliment, as well as Jack having buttoned his shirt and jacket up. Sighing softly, she shook her head, walking to the door. As she opened it, two police officers stood in the doorway, with a young girl standing between them. She had bland hair in two pigtails coming from the sides of her head, but the makeup and clothing was all black, including the backpack over her shoulder.

"Ms. Beverly Klink? We're here to drop off one Alice Paine, by the order of the Flint court system. Here is the paperwork." Taking the folder, Beverly opened it to the first page, comparing the picture with the girl in front of her. "We'll be in contact once the court decides what will be done with her. If you need to get anything from her home, feel free to call us, and we can see what can be done."

Giving the officers a nod, Ms. Klink watched them walk away, leaving the quiet girl standing in front of her. "Welcome to your new home."

Looking past the older woman, Alice sniffed slightly. "Kinda homey... It'll work..." She said softly, not really paying attention. She stepped past the brown haired woman, examining the entryway closely. Walking down the hall, she stopped at a doorway to the living room, arching a brow at the small crowd of people in the room, staring back at her.

"Everyone, this is Ms. Alice Paine. She'll be staying with us for the time being." Beverly said having caught up to the gothic girl, while trying to keep the polite smile on her face.

*~*~*~*

Alice glanced back at the woman, before looking over the small group as everyone was introduced to her. She gave a curious look at the girl next to Jill, who said her name was 'Witchie'. She had never met anyone with such unique hands before. Bobby seemed interesting, especially the way he blushed when he looked at her, although she was used to that with this attire. The little kids made her wrinkle her nose slightly. She had never gotten along well with children, although the only ones she had known were the brats she had grown up with in the trailer park.

"Jill, will you show Ms. Paine to her room?"

Jill nodded to her caretaker, smiling sweetly as she stood up. Walking over to the older blonde, she bowed her head slightly. "It's nice to have you here, Alice."

"Yea, thrilled." Alice said, putting a little sarcasm into it as she followed the girl upstairs. She could hear Ms. Klink and the older man --Jack, she thought his name was-- before she walked out of earshot. She glanced at the doors as they walked down the hallway. Yawning to herself, she watched as Jill went into a room near the end of the hall, following her in.

Alice looked around the room, laying her backpack on the dresser. It wasn't much to look at, only having a dresser and twin bed, but the window at least gave a backdoor if she needed it. Plopping down on the bed, she tested out how comfortable it was as she glanced back at Jill, who had been standing to the side the whole time.

"So, what's with that Witchie girl? I don't think I've ever seen hands like hers before."

Jill blushed a little, looking nervous as she fidgeted. "I, um... I'm not sure what's up with them. You should probably ask her." She smiled sweetly.

Frowning slightly, the Goth wrinkled her nose at the answer. "Well, how about leavin' me alone, kiddo? I could use some sleep." She watched the quiet girl nod and quickly scoot out of the room. Giving a sigh, Alice laid back on the bed, putting her hands under her head.

"Damn you, old man... Just what did you do to get me stuck here?" Alice muttered to herself as she rested, hearing the little kids playing down the hall. Although it was more comfortable then her home, the entire place was just too happy. The only one who didn't seem perky and enjoying life, was the old man. The minute she was introduced, he had given her a frown.

"Old fart probably thinks I remind him of some ex-girlfriend of his..."

Sitting up, Alice looked out her window, figuring if she was careful, she could get from where she was to the roof of the shed, and jump down from there. If the rest of the day was going to be this way, she would need a quick route out so she could get some form of excitement tonight.

*************

"Why do I always have to do things like this...?"

Bobby looked at the door to the dance club. After finding the note on Alice's pillow, saying she was going dancing, Ms. Klink had almost blown the roof off. 'Lucky me, Jack volunteers me to get her back, saying someone her age would be better then the police or herself...'

"Wonder if this card Jack gave me works like he said it does?" Opening the door, he glanced around before walking inside. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the dim lighting as the loud music buffeted at him. The place definitely seemed like someplace Alice would hang out, with Goths, Punks, and Raver types.

Walking up to the front counter, Bobby grinned at the large man checking IDs, as he flashed the card. The man took it, examining it closely, before he handed it back. "We got a call saying you had permission. Dun see why the Government would care about some kid going clubbing, but hey, who am I to ask."

Laughing nervously, the young Digi-destined walked past, looking around again. It was difficult to tell one person from another with the smoke and lights flashing on the dance floor. Even for such a small club, the crowd was making the search more difficult then he thought it would be.

"What'll you have?"

Bobby jumped slightly at the feminine voice, looking over at the woman tending the bar. The tank top she had over her full breasts made the blonde's cheeks turn dark red as he stepped over. "A...Actually, I'm looking for someone." Taking a seat, he went into describing Alice to the woman, ordering a coke in the middle so he could finish.

"Yea, I know her. She's a regular, although she doesn't look old enough to be in here."

Bobby rubbed the back of his head. 'If only you knew, miss...'

The woman smiled, leaning close to the boy. "Of course, you don't either... But you have pretty eyes, so I won't tell anyone. And if you're looking for your girlfriend, she's normally on the dance floor or the booths behind it."

Bobby's cheeks flushed a little more at the girlfriend comment. "Oh! She's not me..."

Ruffling his hair, the woman smirked softly. "Don't worry. Just watch her kind. They normally end up being more trouble then they're worth. But if you ever need a lesson in keeping her straight, just get a hold of me. I'll show you some tricks of the trade." She winked, before setting his drink down, walking away to another customer.

Bobby simply blinked at the rather blatant hint, taking a strong drink of his cola before shaking it off. 'If I'm not careful, Lisa's gonna kill me...' He thought, imagining the fellow member of the Oklahoma team that he had feelings for. And all the feelings wouldn't make a difference, if she thought he was doing something, despite her brother keeping him from trying to go out with her.

Finishing his drink, Bobby walked over to the dance floor. Sitting at an empty table next to the area, he tried to look as casual in the surroundings as someone could, wearing an Oklahoma T-shirt and blue jeans, watching the floor for the missing girl.

After a couple metal songs ran through, his search paid off. The Oklahoma teen watched Alice step into the lights, dancing with a couple other girls. She looked like she was having the time of her life, moving through the flashing lights, although the way she and the other girls were dancing so close was making the boy's cheek go red again. "Daisuke's gonna be so jealous..."

After a few songs, Alice and her friends walked back to their booth, the girl's settling into the laps of a few older men, while Alice simply sat with them. Bobby frowned slightly as he saw her accept a cup of beer from one of the girls, taking a deep drink of it.

"Oh, this is a bad sign..." Bobby muttered to himself, as he heard the song "Bodies" by Drowning Pool start up. Every time the song started, his luck always seemed to turn sour. Shrugging to himself, he stood up, walking around the dance floor until he reached the booth.

"Hey, it's Billy!" Alice giggled soft as she looked up at the Digi-destined, finishing her drink off. "What are you doing here, Billy?"

Bobby grimaced, wondering if she was just that drunk to not remember his name, or just never cared. "I'm here to take you home, Alice. Ms. Klink is worried about you, you know."

"Aww, that's sweet! The old crone is worried!" Alice's friends started laughing, although the gothic girl was louder then them. "What, she gonna send the princess and the hand freak after me next?"

Bobby grumbled to himself. "Look, I said I would take you back. Now can we just go, before something happens?" Glancing around, the blonde boy's nerves were getting a little edgy. The song was half way done, and so far nothing. 'Hopefully,' He thought, 'It'll stay this way...'

The teen's hopes dropped as he felt a large hand on his shoulder. Noticing the grimace on Alice's face, Bobby looked back at the hand's owner. His worry of an incident increased, as he looked at possibly the scruffiest biker rip-off he had ever seen. Sighing softly, Bobby turned around, looking up at the older man who was giving him a sneer.

"Why don't you leave her with us? I promise we'll take good care of her..." Bobby barely heard a cough from behind him, as he watched the old man.

'If your breath didn't reek of alcohol, you might almost sound more believable... Almost...' "No, I think it would be better if I took her home." Turning around, Bobby took Alice's arm, ignoring the surprised look on her face as he helped her to her feet. Grabbing her bag, he started to move past the people, praying the drunken man let them be.

That big hand on his shoulder dashed his hopes once again, as he felt the biker trying to pull him back. "Uh uh, you little shit. I've been paying for this bitch's drinks, so she's gonna have to pay me back before she goes."

Shaking his head, Bobby turned around, pushing Alice a little behind him. Pulling his wallet out, he tugged out some money Jack had given him, in case he needed it, and handed it to the man. "Here. You've been compensated, so it's all good." He grinned as he pushed the money into the hand, quickly turning and trying to push the girl along before something else could happen.

"Hey!"

Bobby froze as he felt something poking him in the back, feeling a little too stiff for a finger. Cursing under his breath, he moved Alice out from in front of him, trying to keep his calm. "Hey, isn't think going a bit far, friend?"

The man pushed his gun into Bobby's back, gritting his teeth. "Shut up, you little shit! You think you can just come in here and talk big?"

"Hey Jim, just let the kid go..." One of the girl's staggered up behind the man slowly. "Just let them go, and I'll be happy to take her place..." The young woman touched the man's shoulder, trying to pull his arm back.

Bobby's eyes went wide as the bullet flew through his body. After a second, his body slumped to the ground, letting the blood pool underneath him as he stopped moving.

*~*~*~*

Alice stared in shocked as she watched the boy who had come to get her get shot, dropping to her knees. She stared at the lifeless body for a moment, before turning her head towards the man whom just shot him. "You bastard!" Her scream echoed in the silence filling the dance club after the gun shot.

"B...But the safety was on... I swear it was on..." Jim stared at the gun in shock, as if his mind was trying to piece together what just happened.

Crawling forward, Alice almost reached Bobby's body, when a pair of arms wrapped around her, stopping her progress. She looked back at the bartender, staring a moment into the older woman's eyes. "Kathy... Kathy, he killed him!" The young girl turned around, sobbing into the offered shoulder for a few minutes, still the only noise in the entire club.

"I lose more shirts that way... Damn it, this was a favorite of mine too..."

Alice blinked as she heard the voice. She was convinced she was hearing things, but turned her head anyway. There sat Bobby. the center of attention, as he sighed over the blood strained T-shirt with a hole blown through it.

Moving away from Kathy, Alive knelt down next to Bobby, who was still fretting over his shirt. She reached out, suddenly giving a hard pinch on the boy's upper arm.

"Ow!!"

Alice stared as the boy rubbed his arm. Before he could say anything, he lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and started crying all over again. "Oh god, I thought you were dead! B...But how did you survive?" She asked, sitting up enough to look at the hole in his shirt, seeing no wound in his chest.

"Umm... Maybe we should talk about this back at the orphanage?" Bobby rubbed the back of his head, looking a little self conscious from still being the center of attention.

Nodding numbly, the gothic girl stood up, grabbing her backpack as the teen dusted his clothes off. "Well... Thanks for the fun evening, Miss. And you may wanna cut him off from drinking, if this is the kind of drunk he is. Here, contact this man, to get some money for repairs." Kathy gave a small nod as Bobby handed her a card with Jack's cell number on it, before he pulled on Alice's arm and escorted her out.

***********

Yawning softly, Alice sat up in the bed she had slept in. Her head felt a little fuzzy, about the worst she normally had for a hangover, when she stuck to beer. Wondering who's house she had ended up at, she looked around the room finally.

The gothic girl was more then a little startled when she realized she was back in the orphanage. As she tried to remember the previous night, her memory slowly started to function as the minutes passed, slowly showing how she had seduced and screwed Bobby before she passed out. That was the point she realized she was still in Bobby's room

Alice didn't think her cheeks could get darker then they were that moment. Not only did that mean her wet dream about the blonde boy had more basis then she had thought, but it meant everything else might have really happened too! The ride on the firebird's leg, Bobby being shot through the chest, it just seemed too surreal. Of course, when she arrived yesterday, sleeping with Bobby hadn't even been a thought, so that wasn't saying much.

Quickly grabbing her sheet and wrapping it around herself, she ran to the door, running into her room to avoid anyone finding her in such a state. She definitely had to spend some time to herself, since she had to figure out just what she had to do now. She was so deep in thought, that she never noticed the young blonde girl down the hall, watching her streak from one room to another.

***********

Rocker ~ Well, the orphanage has a new member to the household.

Flora ~ *giggles* Aye. She does seem nice.

Rocker ~ *nods* By the way, where is ToyAgu?

Flora ~ *thinks* I think he and Witchie are playing that Digimon Rumble Arena game you got awhile ago.

Rocker ~ *sweat drops* Wow, I haven't played that since I opened all the characters... Well anyway, get to the chapter preview, please.

Flora ~ Sure. *smiles* When Michigan gets hit with a statewide blackout, just what could be waiting for Erin and the Detroit team. hiding in the dark? Find out next time, on the next Dark Diaries!


	16. Entry 16 Plunging into Darkness

Sighing softly to himself, Erin glanced down at the street from his window. Two days had passed since the bowling trip with the Detroit team, and the orphan was still trying to deal with what had happened at the end of it.

'It felt like...like I was someone else...' He thought, watching the crowd below him bustling about.

"You should eat something lad! Food'll do ya some good!"

Erin turned around to Metal Mamemon, an ally of the Detroit team. The Perfection digimon had been gracious enough to let him stay with him, and he wasn't complaining about it. Even if he had to stay fused to be in the Digital World, being in the alternate world seemed to leave him more refreshed, especially when it came to trying to deal with the emotional problems he had right now.

Taking a seat, the orphan started into one of the pieces of fruit he was offered, wrinkling his nose at the taste of spinach on his tongue. Not commenting, he continued eating slowly, looking out the window from his seat.

"Ach, are ye gonna just mope again?" Ye've barely said anything since ye arrived." Metal Mamemon gulped down a couple pieces of fruit, not seeming to have any problems with the flavors.

Glancing at the digimon, Erin sighed softly again. "Sorry... I just needed time away, you know?"

"Pah. Boy, I can tell when somethin's wrong. Holding it in ain't gonna help ye any, so just spit it out."

Erin paused a moment in mid-bite, considering telling the digimon. "Well... Have you ever felt like you were loosing control?" His gaze never shifted from the window as he watched a few clouds float by over one of the buildings.

Metal Mamemon took his time answernig, crossing his arms as he sat back in his seat. "Everyone deals with moments when they feel like things are out of control. If ye be patient enough, then ye'll work past it eventually."

Erin shook his head. "That's not what I meant... I mean, have you felt like YOU were loosing control? Of yourself, not just life."

The metal digimon tilted his head/body slightly, observing his new friend for a moment. "That I've not dealt with too much. But what happened to make ye ask such a question? Ya do be around friends, ye can tell me."

Glancing back at the small Perfect, the teen opened his mouth, silently trying to figure out what to say. Before he could think of anything, a knock at the door got both their attentions. Erin gave Metal Mamemon a look, noticing the shake of his head. Obviously, the digimon wasn't expecting someone.

Standing up, Erin followed the Perfect to the door. He looked at the digimon, nodding to one another, before slipping behind the door as Metal Mamemon opened it.

"Hey!" Sue's voice was unmistakable as Erin saw her step into the room, hugging the metal digimon. "Have you seen Erin around, I've been trying to find him everywhere! Please, Mammie!! Do you know, huh huh?!"

Erin couldn't help chuckling as he watched his friend swing around the small Perfection level digimon. Sue turned around, her bright smile focusing on him now as she let Metal Mamemon go and threw herself into a big hug around his shoulders. "There you are!"

"Well, I'm not somewhere else, I hope." Erin managed to squeak out as he returned the hug.

"Erin, come on! You gotta help me!" Sue pulled away, reaching into her pocket and pulled out a D3, silver colored with a dark blue trimming. She held it right up in Erin's face as she continued. "Emily sent me, Greg and Hilary to find out Digimentals, but I don't know where mine is! Max got the Digimental of Hope, and I don't wanna be the last one to find one!"

Erin pulled back from the device in his face, as he watched the girl give him the most pathetic looking pout face he had ever seen. She looked like she might start crying any minute over it. Rubbing the back of his head, the assimilated teen sighed and nodded. "Alright... Although I doubt Greg will enjoy my company at all..."

"Yay! Now I can find my Digimental and show Max who's got the best one!" She smiled brightly again as she slipped her D3 back into her pocket. Erin looked at the young Digi-Destined, noticing she had one of her fairy shirts on, with a jean skirt that reached to her knees and a pair of tennis shoes covering her feet.

Sue gave the teen a victory sign with her fingers, as she winked. "Alright! Greg and Hilary was waiting outside the town. Come on!" Grabbing Erin's arm, the young girl dragged him out fo the room, leaving a chuckling digimon behind them.

***********

Dark Diaries

Entry 16 "Plunging into Darkness"

Written by Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

***********

"It's way too quiet..." Greg muttered slightly, tugging at the gray T-shirt he had worn.

"Oh, don't be a worrywart! Just because we aren't getting into a fight everytime something is going on, is no reason to think it's weird." Sue rolled her eyes back at the boy, as she resumed skipping next to Erin.

Grunting, Greg muttered softly before he continued. "look, every other team has mentioned how when they got their Digimentals, they got in a fight or something. Even Emily got in one, even if it was more 'his' fault." His tone pointed the statement at Erin, pausing a moment before pressing his point. "And Max and I both have Digimentals without one nicident. Pardon me for finding this a little odd."

Sue glanced back, giving a sickeningly sweet smile to the boy. "You're pardoned!"

Ignoring the annoying noise from Greg, Hilary patted his arm softly. "Greg has a point however. From the facts, we shouldbe facing an opponent each time we gain a Digimental, who can be defeated with the acquired item. Thus, something should be happening or should have happened."

Sue looked over at the younger of the siblings, giving a sigh. "Well, Emily got in a fight, and besides, maybe this is what is supposed to happen. Maybe we just got lucky!" She perked up at the last sentance.

Hilary shook her head. "Doubtable. Emily's fight can't be counted, since it was not something she could have defeated with the Digimental of Courage and Boarmon alone. And we can't be lucky, because that factors little into actions of the Digital World, such as upgrades to our digivices and Digimentals." The young girl walked past Sue as she finished, leaving her and Greg walking next to one another.

Ignoring the sounds of raspberres behind him, Erin looked overat the young girl, still a bit surprised someone so young was a Digi-Destined. Although he had to admit, right now she seemed to be the most mature of the trio with him.

"You keep looking at me. Why?" Erin blushed a little as the young girl looked up at him.

"Well, I was just surprised at how young you are. Meeting Emily was surprising enough, but I didn't think someone your age would be involved in this."

Rubbing the back of his head, Erin watched as Hilary looked forward again. "Well, there are younger. There is one girl in Paris who's a year younger then I am, as well as one in Yutaka, Alaska. Maria of New York is only a year older. Chosen and Digi-Destined are not exactly common at our ages, but it is not unheard of."

Erin blinked as he listened. While twelve-year-olds had been one thing he had tried to adjust to, knowing even children as young as nine and ten were involve in this type of thing was a bit disconcerting. Especially when the person explaining it, someone of that younger age group, sounded so much like Ms. Klink did when she explained things. Although it did nothing to help, listening to two of her elders going back and forth like a pair of children.

"So, how do your familiers take it? Being Digi-Destined, that is."

Hilary's face scrunched a moment as she thought, before she finally answered. "Our families don't know. In fact, a lot of Digi-Destined don't tell their families unless they have too. After all, would you want your loved ones worrying about wondering if everytime you leave the house, you might be eaten by some digital monster, or forced to help kill something else?"

Erin stopped as he noticed his companions all had as well. Hilary and Greg both held a somber look on their faces. Sue's face was a little more noticable, the soft smile a bit forced for the normally chipper girl. He nodded, as the small group started walking again, with an uneasy silence falling over them.

After awhile, Hilary tapped Erin's arm, pointing off towards a small mountain that had been coming into their view. "Erin, can you see something in the side of that mountain? Kunemon thinks she can see something around that spot."

Looking at the point the young girl was pointing at, erin tried to notice anything out of the ordinary. "Yea... I think I can see something... Like a building, maybe?"

Hilary nodded, as the yellow insect, sliding along the ground next to her, scooted a little ahead. The brown haired girl held up her D3, emerald with gray colored covering, as the screen started to glow.

"Kunemon evolve...!" A pillar of light formed around the small digimon, growing larger until it dissipated away. the new digimon looked nothing like the small yellow one, aside from the fact that both were obviously insects. The blue digimon stood tall above the Digi-Destined, four arms reaching out from the torso. A helmet with a horn covered the head, aside from the gapping mouth it showed. Four translucent wings stuck out from the bug's back, giving a small flutter as the large digimon stretched. "...Kabuterimon!"

"Digital Assimilation!" Erin crossed his arms over his chest, as the armor and body suit formed over his body, a flash of purple turning him into Black War Humon.

"Erin will take Sue and Floramon. Greg and Gomamon will ride with Kabuterimon and myself." Hilary said, as one of Kabuterimon's hands reached down and picked the young girl up, followed by her brother and his partner. Erin watched as Sue walked over, her bright smile back on her face, as she held Floramon in her arms.

"Shall we?" Erin said, picking the pair up in his arms, as Kabuterimon took off into the air. Swiftly following, Erin watched at the mountain came closer, soon revealing that a small temple appeared to have been built into the mountainside itself. Soon enough, the small group landed at the entranceway. Kabuterimon shifted back to Kunemon as they landed followed by Erin returning to his fused form quickly.

Walking to the arch, Hilary traced her fingers along the strange designs that were etched into the stone. After focusing on them for a moment, she pulled out her pad of paper, writing down the designs around the doorward, leaving the rest to the view.

"Erin, do you ever wonder about your family?" Sue asked, as she knelt down next to the edge of the floor.

Erin tilted his head curiously, taking a seat on the edge overlooking the fields underneath them. He thought about the question for a moment as he watched a couple clouds pass, before finally answering. "Not really... My parents died when I was seven, and if I had any other family, they would have been found, you know?"

Sue listened, not paying attention as Floramon sat next to her, watching the edge cautiously. "Doesn't that get sad though? Not having your family with you?"

Erin smiled softly as he looked at the girl. "Nah. I have my family and friends. Between the older children at the orphanage and Ms. Klink, you all here, even Mimi and Jyou, there's really nothing to get sad about."

Sue smiled sweetly, reaching up and giving Erin a tight hug around his neck, catching Floramon by surprise as she pulled her into it too. "Nope!"

Blushing, a cough from behind him caught Erin's attention, looking bac with the clutching girl and her partner. Gomamon, Greg's partner, smiled as he looked at the trio. "Greg and Hikary went in with Kunemon. Greg told me to let you know."

Clearing his throat, the brown haired teen tried to hide the slight embarrassment of the situation as he stood up. Noticing Sue was still hugging his neck, he smiled sheepishly, slowly pulling the girl's arm from around his neck, watching as she both to hug Floramon now. "Come on, we should catch up with them."

Giving a bright smile, Sue picked up Gomamon, holding both the digimon as she lead the way into the temple, following by the blushing teen.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Done necking?"

Erin ignored the smirk on Greg's face. the temple had a main passage, columns lining it, that lead to an empty pedestal in the center. From the footprints in the dusty floor, Erin guessed they were the first people, or digimon, to have been here in quite some time.

"Hilary, what are you trying to find? It's obvious if something was here before, it was been taken well before we got here. Why waste out time?" Greg turned back to his sister, who was examining the pedestal.

"If you checked with your D3, you would have noticed a signal is coming from here. So obviously, whatever it is, is still here. Logic would say, we merely need to find out how to reveal it." Hilary traced her fingers over a small pattern on the side of the pedestal, once again sketching them into her notepad.

Ignoring the scoffing noise from the Digi-Destined, Erin walked over and knelt down next to Hilary. The symbols look a little odd, a couple seemed like stars, while others were elaborate loops and similar things.

"They're the Digimental attributes."

Erin glanced at the young girl, who hadn't even looked up from her notepad. "Digimental attributes?"

Hilary nodded as she closed the pad. She pointed to the top pattern, one of the star shapes. "This is the symbol of Courage, the Digimental Emily got. Below it is the symbol of Friendship. On each side are another pair, Knowledge and Reliability, Love and Purity, and then Hope and Light." She traced each pattern as she named them, before standing up and looking at the top. "So the logical thing would be to assume it was a Digimental that was here, and possibly still is."

Erin watched, trying to remember what little he had looked up on that CD he had been given, as the young girl went to work. While Kunemon went about examining the wall behind the pedestal, Hilary continued to look for something else on it. He stepped back, leaning against a pillar near Sue and Floramon, both who seemed more confused then he did.

A few minutes of silnce passed, as the youngest member of the Detroit team examined the carvings carefully. Pressing her hand on the larger circle of the symbol of Knowledge, her fingers suddenly pushed a small button in the center of it. A loud creak came from the wall behind the pedestal, followed by a cloud of dust kicking up as it split and began to seperate. Everyone quickly stood up, wary if something might come threw the new opening.

Erin gave a small cough as the dust began to settle again, revealing another pedestal in a softly glowing room. Sitting on the pedestal was something that looked like an oddly shaped cone, colored yellow and with a couple folds around the sides. A small, gray point stood on the top, while the symbol of Knowledge appeared in blue on the front of it.

Without a moment's hesitation, Hilary walked towards the find, taking it in her hands and removing it from it's resting place. The yellow cone shimmered brighter for a moment, before disappearing, leaving the room back in it's original light, with the new addition of the same small, gray box Emily had gotten, in Hilary's hands.

"W... What was that?" Erin asked, noticing the snort from Greg, while Sue ran over to Hilary and gave her a small hug.

"That was the Digimental of Knowledge." Hilary gave a faint smile as Sue congratualated her. "Kunemon, would you like to try it out?" A nod from her digimon confirmed the mutual though as Hilary picked up the D-terminal, holding her D3 towards her partner. "Digimental up!"

"Kunemon, armor evolve...!" The yellow insect began to glow again, this time more color forming around the small digimon. As the glow finally began to fade, a much different form greeted the group. A large silver beetle stood in the middle of the room, a flat saucer with the symbol of Knowledge on it's back, and two long antennae extending from its head. "The oddity of knowledge, Searchmon!"

Watching closely, Hilary immediately walked up to her partner, running her fingers along the smooth metal body of the insect. "I think I remember something about this evolution. We should get back home, so I can check it out. Then, we'll be able to optimize your abilities, right Searchmon?"

Nodding to her partner, Searchmon shifted against the young girl.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"So, are you ready to come with us?" Sue tilted her head as she watched the older boy.

Erin glanced at Hilary and Greg, doing something with the TV that would take them back home. "I don't know... I don't know if I should be around people at all right now..."

"Why not?" Erin blinked as Sue's partner spoke up. "Besides, Sue will just worry if you don't."

"Hey! That's not why! I'm just concerned about him staying in the Digital World all the time like this!"

Erin sighed, giving a soft smile as he watched Sue protest back and forth with her small partner.

"Hey, knock it off! Hilary is trying to figure something out!" Greg barked at the trio, as his sister knelt in front of the television, staring intently.

"Hmm? What's going on?" Sue asked, quickly forgetting the discussion as she led her partner and the older boy over.

"Well, it seems my computer has been shut down. I'm not getting a signal from it. In fact, the only signal I seem to be able to find it Emily's laptop, in Erin's room." Hilary tapped on the TV screen a couple times, adjusting the Digi-portal as she assessed the situation.

"Then Erin can come back with us! He can give us a fast ride home, and help us all sneak into our houses, so no one notices!" Sue smiled brightly, as she looked up at Erin. "Please?!"

Erin rubbing the back of his neck, trying not to look at the big kitten eyes the blond girl was giving him. "Fine... I'll take you guys home."

Sue wrapped her arms around the taller boy's neck, squeezing tightly. Erin flushed, noticing the huff from Greg as he tugged the girl slowly off.

Hilary gave a soft smile as she watched, before she stood up. "Lets go then." Holding her D3 up to the screen, the TV flashed, taking the four through the gateway.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Ok, this REALLY isn't a good sign..." Greg mumbled to himself as he crawled out from under the pile of people and digimon.

Erin looked around, lying on his stomach as he waited for the girls and their partners to get off of him. Aside the light coming frmo the laptop's screen, then entire room was filled with darkness. It almost looked like a room from a haunted house, the kind that masked men jumped into suddenly.

"You do know that you have a habit of stating the obvious, right brother?" Hilary remarked sarcastically, as she brushed her skirt off. Walking back to the laptop, the young Digi-Destined began typing away, while Sue and Erin pulled apart and walked to the window next to Greg.

"It's... It's so dark..." Sue said, picking Floramon up and hugging her tightly against her chest.

"Wow, nothing gets past you, does it." Greg snipped, getting a raspberry from the girl.

Erin stared out into the darkness, watching the raindrops reflect off the window from the light of the computer screen. It was almost relaxing, listening to the rainfall while staring into the infinite seeming blackness.

A tug on his sleeve brought him back to the present, looking down at Floramon as she continued pulling. "Hey, you back now? Hilary thinks she found something."

Erin turned around, noticing everyone had moved around the laptop without him realizing it. Nodding to the Child digimon, he walked over, starting to listen to the conversation now.

"So half the state is out?" Sue asked.

"Yes. It seems an unknown factor has taken out the power for the lower half of Michigan." Hilary answered, still typing. "Luckily, emergancy services seem to have backup generators up and running, so that's not a problem."

Opening his mouth to ask something, Erin paused as a roar ripped through the air. Screams from the lower flowers as well as a sudden smash verified where the noise was from, as the assimilated teen burst through his door, sprinting down the stairs.

Erin blinked for a moment at the sight he was greeted to, as he reached the first floor. In one corner were the families that lived in the building, huddling with a few candle placed around the room and a look of terror in their eyes. The source of the fear was easy to see, as a black, dragon looking creature tried to reach further into the building, apparently too large to actually fit inside through the hole in the wall it had made.

"Digital Assimilation!" Black War Humon quickly took the place of the teen, sliding between the predator and its prey. Auburn eyes stared into the four, deep red eyes of the monster, a growl showing it's annoyance at having its meal interrupted.

"Black War Humon!" Erin glanced towards the stairs, long enough to see his three friends and their partners standing close by. Hilary opened her mouth again as she continued. "That's a Devidramon! It's very powerful, but you should be able to handle it! Just remember to use your claws!"

'Claws?' Erin thought for a moment, before he realized what she meant. Giving a small grin, he spread his arms and legs, making himself into a shield to the large digimon. "Alright ugly. I think it's time we danced!"

Not giving the Devidramon time to react, Black War Humon threw himself into the digimon's chest, quickly pushing it out of the abandoned building and down the street across from it.

Pushing himself away from the large Adult, Erin got his first good look at the digimon. Large, leathery wings stretched from its back, with a long tail slamming into the ground behind it. It's forelegs seemed almost more like arms, while the back pair resembled more of an animal nature, in the way they were bent.

"Red Eye!" The dark digimon yelled, firing beams of energy from it's eyes. Erin moved quickly, dodging the attacks. He barely noticed as bits of his building started to rain onto the ground, as he floated in front of his opponent.

'Damn it!' Erin thought, trying to avoid another volley of blasts from Devidramon's eyes. 'Didn't think he would have a way to fight at a range...'

"Leaf Wheel Cutter!" Erin spared a glance back as a new voice rang out. A large leaf sliced through the debris that had been covering the hole in the way from Devidramon. A moment later, a big frog jumped out, with Greg riding on top of it, before the leaf swung back and re-attatched to it's back.

Devidramon's attention shifted as the new target was presented, swinging one of the overly long arms at the frog and Digi-Destined. The new digimon leapt to avoid the first swing, but the second caught it in the air, slamming the pair into the ground.

"Frogmon!" Greg shouted, crawling to his fallen partner. Frogmon's eyes closed as a small light covered him, de-evolving back into Gomamon. Holding his partner, Greg didn't notice the dark digimon closing in on him.

"Hey now!" Black War Humon called out, as he slammed himself into Devidramon's back. "Attacking a guy while he's down isn't kosher!" Wrapping his arms around the struggling digimon, Erin lifted the large mass with little trouble, spinning and launching it down the street again.

Hearing a defiant roar as Devidramon started to stand again, Erin simply floated in the air, slamming his gauntlets together with a clang. "You attacked my home, and for that, I can't let you live! Black Tornado!" With a sudden rush, he bgan the whirlwind, slamming his spinning claws right into Devidramon's chest. It roared again, louder this time, before shattering into data and disappearing.

Black War Humon floated in the air for a moment, staring into the darkness again, before he went back to the abandoned building. He shifted out of his fully assimilated form, although he kept himself fused with the coin. Sue was kneeling next to Greg, checking Gomamon over a little, while Hilary tried to calm the homeless people of the building down.

"You!" One of the adults yelled at Erin as he walked closer. He didn't recognize the person, as the yelling continued. "You brought them, didn't you! Even when these kids came once in awhile, we never had anything like this happen!"

Wincing slightly, Erin turned away from the accusations. He rubbed his chest absently, trying not to think about the slight pain he felt, as he walked over to Sue and Greg. The girl now had the little white digimon in her lap, stroking his head as Greg sat close with a worried expression on his face.

"How is he?" Erin asked, kneeling down on the other side of the young girl.

"He'll be alright. It's been awhile since any of us have been in a battle, and it seems Gomamon wasn't ready for that strike. He's just resting now." Sue smiled sweetly. Floramon stood a little apart, apparently keeping an eye out for any further trouble.

"Lets get in out of the rain then. Won't help any if we all get a cold, right?" Erin smiled.

Sue nodded, gently handing Gomamon back to his worried partner. Both began to walk inside, followed by Erin, who kept his head down and turned away as they walked past the building's residents, not wanting to see those accusing looks.

As they walked back into his room, Erin grabbed his blanket, handing it to Sue. "Here. You guys can use this to dry off."

Hilary sat back down at the computer, typing furiously, while Sue took the blanket with a smile. Erin turned away, not wanting anyone to notice the slight blush, even in the darkness, as Sue began to dry herself thoroughly. It was only a second before Greg joined him. It did surprise him when his enhanced sight noticed a slight darker color to the boy's cheeks, guessing he was staring out the window for the same reasons.

Cradling Gomamon in his arms, Greg fidgeted nervously, before he finally gave a soft sigh. "You know... out there... well... thanks, ok?" He sputtered out, turning away from the older boy with a grimace.

Erin smiled softly. That was probably the first, almost nice thing Greg had ever said to him since they had met. "No problem." He answered softly, not planning on pushing it, considering how Greg's attitude seemed to be normally.

A small protest came from behind the pair, causing the boys to look as Sue began to try and dry a squirming Hilary. Both teens chuckled a little, before she wrestled the blanket away from the older girl, dropping it on the ground.

"Stop laughing! This may be more serious then we thought!" Hilary yelled, catching everyone's attention. "Kunemon, Digimental up!"

Kunemon quickly armor evolved into Searchmon, taking up more space in the small room, as she settled next to Hilary.

"Alright, can you do a scan for any forms of digital life in the area?" Hilary asked, pulling the laptop into her lap as she sat in front of her partner.

Searchmon's antennae stood at attention as her eyes began to glow. After a few minutes of silence, the antennae finally relaxed again. "I can find roughly fifteen digital life-forms within the confines of my search. Two can be identified as Tsukaimon and Mecha Norimon. Two other signatures are of Perfection level, while the rest appear to be Adults. Identities for the remaining can not be configured without further data.

Hilary began typing as soon as Searchmon spoke, leaving everyone else in silence. before she raised her head again. "Can you pinpoint Tsukaimon and Mecha Norimon?"

"I'm afraid not. Tsukaimon's signal is to weak, but is north of here. Mecha Norimon is almost out of my range to the south. The Adults seem to be scatted in all directions."

Nodding, Hilary finished typing, before standing and putting the laptop back on the table. After a few minutes of silence, Sue finally spoke up, stepping closer to Hilary. "Hilary, do you know what's going on then?"

"Hold on." Hilary began typing again, connecting a cable between her D3 and the laptop. She fiddled with one more thing, before turning the screen towards everyone, showing what appeared to be a map with two blinking dots near the top and bottom.

"This is a map of Detroit. With my D3 hooked up, I've been able to get a general idea of where Emily and Max are. However, if all those Adult signals are more Devidramon, then we have a problem. They both might already be fighting, and these kind of numbers are something we can not handle."

"Then we have to help them!" Sue stepped closer, clutching her D3 close to her chest. "What if those big meanies have already attacked Max and Emily?!"

"You said Tsukaimon's signal was weak, right? What if she's already been hurt?! Emily might be in danger!" Greg burst out, stepping closer himself.

"I understand, but we need to plan this carefully. Even if they aren't Devidramon, if all those Adults are here and against us, we'll have trouble. If we split up, we should..."

"No." Erin interrupted, gaining everyone's attention. "Kabuterimon and Floramon's Adult form should be enough to keep you safe, right?" Watching the young Digi-Destined give a nod, he continued swiftly. "Alright, then you three go after Max. I'll help Emily."

"Hey, who put you in charge?! Besides, your not the only one who wants to make sure she's safe, you know!" Greg shouted again.

"Erin, you shouldn't go alone anyway! What if you get hurt or something?!" Sue protested, concern in her voice.

"Actually... He may have a good idea." Hilary jumped in, gaining a surprised look from Sue and Greg both. "His Dramon Destroyers give him a distinct advantage against Devidramon, or any other Dramon who might be involved. He could also reach her by flight faster then we could. It would only burden him down to have to carry someone else, while Kabuterimon shouldn't have a problem with us three, plus Gomamon and Yashamon."

Greg sputtered as his sister agreed with Erin's plan, trying to find some flaw in it, while Searchmon de-evolved back into Kunemon again. Sue looked between the older boy and younger girl, before giving a soft sigh.

"Well, you take care then, alright?" Sue leaned up, giving a quick peck on Erin's cheek, bringing a dark enough flush to his cheeks to be noticable in the faint light. "If you don't come back fine, you'll answer to me, got it?"

Erin blinked for a moment, then smiled faintly. "It's a promise."

Hilary looked the map over a moment, before adjusting something onto it, bringing a small dot near the center. "Erin, this is where we are, alright?" She barely paused, pointing to the dot before continuing. "You'll need to go two streets east, then turn left and go straight. I don't have a pinpoint signal, so try and watch for Twelve Mile. Once you're there, you should be able to track Emily down with some searching."

Nodding, Erin barely listened as HIlary began explaining the flight plan they would take to Max, getting some assistance from Sue on where Greg lived, since it seemed it be close to the signal. After everything was worked out, they all walked back downstairs, the main room empty now, with all the residents having fled to undamaged rooms.

Hilary helf the laptop on one arm, typing slowly with the other. "Alright. It's agreed then. We'll all meet up back here once we find our friends and plan our next move from there." As everyone nodded, the young girl took her D3, holding it out towards Kunemon, as the small insect slipped into the rain. After a flash of light, Kabuterimon stood in Kunemon's place.

The three Digi-Destined quickly ran out, Sue and Greg grabbing ahold of each of her legs with their partners in tow, while HIlary climbed into one of the blue insect's hands. Erin watched, before giving a yell as he turned himself back into Black War Humon.

"Erin!" Stepping out into the rain, Black War Humon turned his head back towards Sue. "I have my cell! If you can, find a way to call me once you find Emily, alright?"

Erin smiled, giving a nod to the girl, as Kabuterimon's wings began to flutter. Despite the falling rain, the big, blue bug was airborne in almost no time, swiftly flying south. Turning towards the street, the sound of feet caught his attention, looking back to see two of the children that lived in the building staring at him.

"Mr. Erin?" The young boy asked, absently tugging at his shirt, which was a couple sizes too big for him. "Is that you?"

Sighing softly, he nodded, remaining where he was. "Yes, it's me Jacob."

The young girl stepped up behind Jacob, moving his bushy hair off his shoulder as she stood behind him. "You're gonna go fight the monsters, aren't you?"

"Right, Crystal. I have friends out there I need to make sure are still safe. If I find any monsters, I plan to make sure they don't hurt anyone." He turned slightly, waving his gauntlet at the siblings. "Now you two get back to your parents. They'll get worried about you."

The pair nodded, before running back towards the stairs. As Jacob continued up, Crystal paused, looking back again. "Mr. Erin? I'm sorry about Mr. Southerlan. That was mean of him to yell at you. Good Luck!" She quickly took off up the stairs after her brother.

Black War Humon smiled faintly as the girl ran out of earshot. "Thanks, kiddo." He said softly to himself.

Turning back towards the dark street, he glared into the pitch black, watching as flashes of lightning began to light up the area. "Storm's getting worse. Better get on my way!" With a yell, Black War Humon took to the air, shooting down the street.

***********

ToyAgu ~ Wow, seems like they have their hands full!

Rocker ~ It would seem that way, wouldn't it? ^_^

Flora ~ *giggles softly* Yes, it would. So next time, Erin continues on, searching for Emily in a city of total darkness! And to make matters worse, he ends up getting a couple of surprises along the way. Find out who and what they are, next time, in the next chapter of Dark Diaries!


	17. Entry 17 Eye of the Storm

Total Darkness. It surrounded him completely as he flew through the skies. Growling as a flash of lightning forced his eyes to adjust back and forth quickly, he landed with a loud slam, making small dents in the street from his metal boots.

"Blast, this is taking forever..." Black War Humon grumbled. His duel voices seemed to almost come out of nowhere in the nothingness surrounding him.

Walking to the corner of the intersection he landed in, the assimilated teen grabbed the street sign and bent it down. As another flash of lightning lit the area up, a smile crossed his face.

"Alright. Twelve Mile at last." Leaving the sign bent over, he glanced around, looking at the businesses and such around him.

"Well, I'm not going to find anything standing here." Black War Humon crouched down for a moment, before pushing himself back into the air. Floating for a moment, he surveyed the area from his new vantage point. If Emily went shopping at the S-Mart across the street, there was no sign of Devidramon or any other digimon battling here.  


'Don't worry, Emily... I'll find you soon enough...' Picking a direction, Erin took off, intent in his search.

***************

Dark Diaries

Entry 17 "Eye of the Storm"

Written by Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

***************

Emily Tatum was not having one of her better days. It had been fine at first, having a small shopping trip with her parents for some new clothes. Unfortunetly, the untimely blackout and appearance of a pack of Devidramon had quickly ruined that. Tsukaimon had come out of her hiding spot and evolved to Airdramon to try and protect the innocents around. The numbers had been against her, and it soon turned into Emily carrying an injured and unconscious Tsukaimon, running for her life.

'Lucky for me Devidramon aren't too smart...' Emily thought. After running through some buildings to try and loose her attackers, she had ducked into a narrow alley, hiding behind a large dumpster between a 7-Twentyfour and Little Pizza Pizza.

Using a wide piece of cardboard for an umbrella, Emily looked down at her partner. Aside from the nasty bruises, it didn't look like she was too badly injured. Unfortunetly, it was probably enough to keep her at the Child level for the time being. Even if she was resting now, she knew Tsukaimon would need some food or just time before she would have the energy to evolve again.

"I hope everyone is ok..." The young Irish girl whispered. She wondered how the Digimental hunt had gone. With her family plans, she had told Greg to go with Sue and Hilary to see if they would have any luck. If they hadn't come back before the blackout though, she knew it was possible they were stuck in the Digital World for the time being, since no computers would have any power.

Max was another problem. He hadn't gone either, saying he had plans as well today. But although he had the Digimental of Hope, Emily was certain he couldn't handle the Devidramon all on his own, if they attacked in a pack as they had with her. That left Erin, who had dissappeared shortly after the bowling outing. Although Sue said they would see if Metal Mamemon knew anything about it, that didn't help for the moment.

Hearing a rumbling coming from a distance away, Emily pushed the thoughts aside swiftly. She clutched Tsukaimon closer to her chest, gritting her teeth to try and keep them from chattering. Despite wearing a jacket and jeans for the weather, the rain had drenched her during her escape. At the least, she had kept Tsukaimon from getting too wet, by keeping her body over her.

'Damn it...' The young Digi-Destined cursed mentally, as the noise slowly came closer. 'I can't die here... I can't!'

Curling herself around her partner, Emily sat quietly, listening as the loud footsteps came closer. Her heart almost stopped as she heard a soft rumble come from the end of the alley behind her. Praying to any god that would listen, digital or otherwise, she continued to hope the dark dragon would simply continue on its way.

"Crimson Nail!"

Emily screamed as the claws smashed the dumpster behind her. As the cardboard fell away, her green eyes looked back in fear, finding four glowing red eyes floating in the darkness of the alley's mouth. She quickly got to her feet, covering Tsukaimon partly in her jacket, clutching her partner tighter to her chest.

"Red Eye!" Emily cried out again, feeling the beam of energy nick her right thigh as she tried to back away from the dark digimon. Although it wasn't a horrible injury, her chances of running had disappeared with the attack.

The Digi-Destined still tried, taking a step before the pain in her leg forced her to loose her balance. Landing on her btt, she stared into the crimson eyes that watched her. The lightning flashed, showing the creature's body, too wide to enter, yet it's teeth were bared in an almost evil looking smile.

Unable to continue watching, Emily shut her eyes tightly, holding Tsukaimon in a death grip. "God... Baihumon... Jijimon... Anyone! Please, help us!" She cried out loudly, praying for a miracle as she waited for the Devidramon's next move.

"Leave her alone!" The familier duel voices rang out like a crack of thunder to the young girl, opening her teary eyes as she watched the red eyes moving, as if the digimon had been struck in the side. She could only continue staring as another lightnign flash revealed Black War Humon's form standing in the alley mouth, facing three Devidramon standing before him.

"Oh, did I ruin your fun?" Black War Humon taunted the dragons, at they started to growl at him. "Well I guess you didn't know playtime was over!"

Pushing herself to her feet, Emily could just barely make out the moving shapes, as Erin lunged forward and slammed the middle Devidramon into the adjacent building. The larger shape disappeared after a few strikes of his gauntlets.

Reaching close to the alley's mouth, Emily watched as the moonlight started to sift through the clouds, making it easier for her to see. Erin stood in the middle of the street, flanked by the last two Devidramon. She looked around, unable to find the one that had injured her, before she watched the standoff continue.

"Crimson Nail!" One of the Devidramon moved firs, slashing with the blood red claws towards the assimilated teen. He dodged easily, slamming the side of his gauntlet against the claw and pushing it into the ground, as he stabbed the other into the attacker's face. As the dark dragon dissipated into data, Black War Humon turned to face the last one.

"What's the matter? Are you scared without your friends to back you up?" The armored teen taunted, as he floated high enough to be equal height with the Devidramon.

The dark dragon took a step back, glancing around for a moment, before it stared at a car that was parked next to it. "Red Eye!" The beam of energy struck the vehicle, causing an explosion that made Emily shield her eyes.

"Hey!" Emily looked back, blinking the flash out of her eyes as she watched Black War Humon yell. During the explosion, the Devidramon had turned and taken flight, trying to escape the fight, which surprised the girl slightly. Erin, however, didn't seem to feel the fight was done yet.

"You think you can run, after the destruction you've caused?! Then run from this! Terra Destroyer!" Black War Humon released the giant ball of energy, striking and deleting the last Devidramon.

Emily watched in silence, leaning against a wall as Black War Humon finally landed. He stared into the sky for a couple minutes, before he turned towards the young girl and walked over. "Are you alright?"

Taking a deep sigh of relief, Emily gave the teen a soft smile. "I am now... Thanks for the timely rescue."

Black War Humon shifted slightly, shrugging at the thanks. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're both ok."

"Well, Tsukaimon's a little under the weather. Those Devidramon really took it to her. That's why we were hiding. She passed out from her injuries."

Nodding, Erin looked up for a moment, as if remembering the falling rain. "Do you know someplace close by we can go? We need to get you two out of the rain. Besides, we should call Sue and let the others know you're alright."

Emily nodded, taking a limping step before Erin lifted her into his arms. She smiled gratefully, as she pointed down the street. "I'll give directions. Meanwhile, maybe you can fill me in on what's going on."

Smiling, Black War Humon took to the air, starting to explain what had happed over the last couple days as he flew.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Alright Sue. I'll let him know. Bye." Emily hung the phone up, as she sat on her bed.

Erin looked over, as he finished tucking the now dry Tsukaimon into a small bundle of blankets on the foot of the bed. "So, did they have any luck?"

Emily nodded, smiling as she looked at her sleeping partner. "Yea. They found Max all right. With Mecha Norimon batting a Devidramon around with a tree trunk..." The pair laughed for a minute, before she continued. "But Sue said only two Devidramon attacked him. He was able to split them up and take them out one before the others found him playing with the second. So they're on their way here now, instead of the building. When they get here, we'll figure out our next step."

Erin gave a small nod. "Alright. We should bandage you leg up though, first."

Emily winced, having finally been able to try and ignore the pain in her leg by staying off it, until she was reminded. She looked down at the ruined jeans, a large hole showing the injury. She was at least thankful that it looked more like a burn then the cut she had felt hit her leg. "It'll be fine. We really should try and get some food together before the others arrive though."

Shaking his head, Erin crossed his arms over his chest. "No way. Until we get a doctor to look at it, we are taking care of it. I'll go find some bandages, you take those off so I can dress it, alright?"

Emily felt a slight flush in her cheeks, as the older teen spoke. Knowing argueing wouldn't get her anywhere, she nodded, watching as he walked out of the room to find the things he needed.

"When did he get so assertive? I wouldn't have expected it." Emily said softly, thankful her dresser of clothes were so close as she pulled the jean drawer open and pulled a clean pair out.

"Well, I might as well change completely. These clothes need some major washing now anyway..." She pouted, as she shrugged the jacket off. She looked at the mud covering it, sighing before she dropped it onto the floor. She wrinkled her nose, candlelight filling the room, as she noticed how much mud had gotten on her shirt too. "Wish I had time for a bath..."

Shrugging the dirty shirt off, Emily opened another drawer, searching until she found a nice black shirt. Lying it on her jeans, she started to undo her bra, not worried about wearing one for the moment.

"Alright, I found so..." Erin paused as he stepped in, Emily quickly clutching her loose undergarment to her chest as her cheeks darkened in embarressment. He stammered a moment, before swiftly stepping out and closing the door tightly this time.

"First the Digi-port, now this... Christ, may as well strip for him..." Emily muttered softly. She wasn't angry at the older teen, after all he didn't have any way of knowing she had planned to change fully. It was all just extremely embarressing! Dropping her bra, she quickly tugged on her T-shirt, pulling damp hair over her face a little to try and cover the deep shade of red covering her face right now.

She slipped the pants off, although not without a few choice curses from the pain involved, before she kicked the ruined jeans away. Realizing she couldn't let Erin bandage her leg with her sitting in her underwear, she quickly grabbed a pair of shorts from another drawer, slipping the snug clothing on. "Alright, Erin. Your clear."

Cracking the door slightly, a crimson eye peeked in for a moment, before the nervous boy stepped into the room. Giving an inward sigh, Emily was glad to see she wasn't the only one embarressed about this. As he stepped closer, he started setting things on the bed, from Ace bandages to some wash clothes and Neosporin.

"Alright, let me see your leg." Emily felt her blush rising again as she stretched her right leg out. Not wincing was quite the challenge, but she managed it as he pushed the short's leg up a little and looked over the wound.

"It doesn't look too bad. I think Witchmon might be able to help with it some, if I can get ahold of her soon." Reaching over, Erin took the washcloth, holding it close before he paused. "Now this might sting, alright?"

Gritting her teeth, Emily nodded. However, remembering the small sting from a band-aid being put on her finger was nothing compared to the washcloth as he pressed the cold piece of fabric to her cut. Digging her fingers into the bedding, she kept herself from making anything more then a small noise as he gently tried to clean the wound.

Lying the dirty washcloth down, Erin picked up a sterile pad, pulling it out of the paper wrapping and squeezed some neosporin onto it. Grabbing another washcloth, he dabbed softly, getting some of the dampness from around the cut, before pressing the pad against it firmly, getting a choked noise if pain from the girl.

Opening her eyes, she noticed Erin was watching her face with a concerned look. "Don't worry... Just hurry and wrap it, so I can relax again, alright?" She forced the words out, wishing he would be faster about it as her nails dug more into the sheets.

Nodding, Erin grabbed the bandage, firmly wrapping it around her thigh. Using the strip of velcro on the end to secure it, he took two metal grips, making sure the end remained fastened. He patted the inside of her thigh absently, since it was opposite the injury. "There, all done!"

Giving a deep sigh, emily finally released her hold on the bedding. She flexed her jaw a moment, slightly sore from gritting her teeth, before she looked down and blushes as she noticed the hand on her inner thigh. "Umm... You can move you hand now, Erin..."

Erin blinked, looking down at his hand before he jumped and fell back on his rear. He waved his hands in frotn of him, trying to stammer out something that sounded like an apology, while his tongue seemed to have knotted itself nicely.

Emily giggled as she watched, pulling the sheet over her lap, as she composed herself again. "Don't worry, I know you didn't mean it Erin."

Erin visibly relaxed from the words, leaning back a little. Standing up, he brushed his hair back a little, trying to get the strands out of his eyes. "I'll, um... I'll go make something for you and Tsukaimon to eat." Standing, the teen walked out of the room quickly.

Emily gave a gentle laugh, watching him run out. She didn't think of Erin as unattractive or anything, but Mimi had already told her that two other girls already had vouched for him. There for, he was off limits for anything more then good friends.

Yawning softly, Emily shifted around carefully, curling up with her partner closely. "I'm glad I have you with me, Tsukaimon... At least someone knows what I'm feeling like..." Shutting her eyes, the young Irish girl drifted to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"EmilyEmilyEmily!" Sue squealed as she gently shook the sleeping girl.

Emily blinked as she looked up, seeing that bright smile that bright smile that Sue often had. she looked around, noticing that Tsukaimon had left the room at some point. "Wh... where is...?"

"Tsukaimon's eating with the other digimon." Sue chirped, as she sat down on the bed. "She was starving when we got here, but she wouldn't leave your side until I promised to stay up here with you."

Nodding slightly, the Irish girl started to sit up, wincing from her injury. Just as she started to move to stand up, Sue gave a push on her shoulder, keeping her on the bed.

"Oh no you don't. I was told to keep you in bed for now. Erin told us about your leg already." Leaning away, Sue picked up a tray of food, a couple different sandwiches and a glass milk and orange juice sitting next to them.

Hearing her stomach grumble, Emily took one of the sandwiches and started eating. As Sue started into some of her own food, the unofficial leader of the Detroit team began to wonder why she couldn't hear anything from the others. She lived in a two bedroom apartment with her parents, so it shouldn't be possible for friends to be able to be so quiet that she couldn't hear them.

"Sue? What is everyone doing out there, anyway?" She asked, taking another bite.

Sue swallowed a big bite of her sandwich, not seeming to realize her eyes were shifting around a little before she answered. "They, ummm... They're playing.... playing strip poker!" She smied again as she finally answered.

Emily would have sweatdropped if she could. "So Erin, Hilary, Greg and Max are playing strip poker...?"  


"Yep!"

Giving an exasperated sigh, Emily set her sandwich down. "Sue, you're a horrible liar. Now tell me what they are doing, or I'm going to go find out for myself."

Making a soft noise, Sue bolted off the bed, immediately putting herself in front of Emily so she couldn't try and stand. "Uh uh! I was told to keep you in bed!"

Putting on her sternest face, Emily crossed her arms and looked up at Sue. "What don't they want me to know?"

Squirming under the gaze, Sue puttered otu a cuple hald-started thoughts, before giving a sigh of defeat. "Erin took Max to try and finish Devidramon hunting... Hilary took Greg and went to try and check up on our families, although she practically had to drag him to make him leave..." Blushing faintly, Sue cut herself off before she said too much.

Groaning, Emily rubbed her head. Erin and Max she could almost understand, considering Max would just rush into most anything, and Erin would probably back him up. Being reminded about Greg's crush wasn't exactly icing on the cake or anything, but at least he and his sister were doing something a little more productive then hunting digimon who might not be around anymore.

"So, Tsukaimon and Floramon are in the living room I take it?" Emily asked, deciding to try and not worry. After all, she couldn't do much now, not until everyone was back anyway.

"And Gomamon." Sue added, plopping back down on the bed. She fidgeted, glancing around nervously. "Emily, you're not upset we went ahead before you woke up, are you?"

Smiling gently, Emily leaned over and hugged the blonde girl around her shoulders. "Nah... We don't have a leader, we act as a team, remember?" I just wish Max and Erin hadn't run off after something we aren't certain is still around."

Sue giggled softly. "You know Max. He wants to be a super hero! Besides, Searchmon said that she could still detect something, or at least they had a general direction to look in."

Blinking, Emily nodded to her friend. Honestly, she had forgotten about Erin mentioning Hilary's new Digimental and Searchmon's readings.

"Hey Sue? Do you think you could help me into the bathroom? After today's adventure, I think I could use a nice bath, since it seems no one is going to let me help out." Emily smiled softly. While she would continue worry over everyone, since she couldn't be out there to make sure everyone was ok, she knew Sue wasn't going to let her and Tsukaimon go help.

"Sure! We can put you in a bubble bath, and I can do your hair!" Sue grinned as she helped the red head up, not noticing the slightly worried look on Emily's face as they started to walk.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Floating along, Black War Humon and Mecha Norimon made their way down another random street. It had been a couple hours since he pair had left and they still had to find the remaining Devidramon that Searchmon had detected. The only thing they had been thankful for so far, was that the rain had stopped, even if the clouds hadn't cleared up yet.

"Mecha Norimon?" Max sat in the cockpit of the digimon, looking out into the areas bring lit up from the light on his partner's chest. "Nothing found yet?"

"Negative. No digital life-forms have been detected."

Black War Humon sighed. He couldn't see how Max could be so impatient to get into a fight. It made him a little uneasy, feeling a part of himself that felt the same way, constantly hoping that a whole pack of Devidramon would just appear in front of him.

"Digital life-forms detected! One mile ahead, three signals."

Max grinned as Mecha Norimon finally found something. "Alright! Lets go, black War Humon! I wanna get some more batting practice in!"

Watching the machine digimon rush off ahead of him, the hybrid followed, keeping his eyes open as they flew over the street. A flash of movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Stopping, as Mecha Norimon continued racing ahead, Erin looked around, trying to find whatever it had been that he had noticed. "Must have been my imagination..." Shrugging it off, he quickly caught up again.

"Shadow Wing!" Black War Humon and Mecha Norimon both stopped as a large beam of energy, almost bird shaped, arched up into the sky and then down, slamming into a pair of Devidramon, making them burst into data.

Looking for the attack's source, a large creature stood in the center of the street, arms crossed over its chest. Two huge, feathered wings extended from its back, and it seemed to be cover in so many redish-brown feathers that it almost looked like fur. Humanoid in shape, the head was different, wearing a large mask with Indian like designs on it and a beak for a mouth, with two braids of hair coming from underneath the mask. It watched them closely, as if trying to guess how they would act, looking down at them easily from it's height.

"Max!"

"Black War Humon!"

The trio looked up to a roof near the imposing creature, floating closer. "Witchmon? Is that you?" The hybrid asked, a bit surprised.

"In the data!" Witchmon smirked, dressed in her normal red dress and hat, striking a small pose.

"Wait a... Bobby? Bobby Raven?" Max asked, blinking for a moment as they landed.

"Well, I hope I'm not Bobby Drake. That would be more messed up then how things normally are, you know?" Bobby grinned, brushing a bit of his unruly blonde hair out of his face.

"Wait, you're the Digi-Destined who went to Mt. Morris then, right?" Erin watched as Bobby nodded. "Shouldn't you be there then?"

Witchmon slipped next to Black War Humon, patting his shoulder plate softly. "Calm down. We made sure to get everyone in a safe place and checked it out, before we came. Ever since the lights went out though, there has been something nasty in this darkness... Hadn't you guys noticed the clouds are still here, even if it isn't storming?"

Erin and Max looked up at the dark sky. "Well, yea. We just thought it was a pause in the rain or something." Erin said softly, although not sounding as sure now.

"Nope. Something caused this blackout, and I'm betting it's the same cause of this storm. I can feel something manipulating it, but it's powerful enough to keep itself hidden from me." Witchmon frowned as she looked around.

"How observant of you!"

Everyone turned at the new voice, although Erin was already growling before he saw the speaker. Standing on the next building over, red pitchfork in hand, was Phelesmon. The deep red on parts of his body kept him from completely blending into the shadows, as he grinned at the small group.

"So, how have you all been? Good? Oh, I'm glad to hear it." The demon laughed.

"Can it! What do you want this time, Phelesmon?" Black War Humon yelled, barely resisting the urge the lunge for the digimon as he had the last time they met.

"Want? Oh, wants are such fickle things. I mean, you can want one thing, and the sometime later, you want something else, am I right? But I digress..." Leaping into the air, Phelesmon jumped onto the building with them, watching as everyone prepared for some sort of attack. "You DO have something I want. The power source. You know of it, yes? No? Well, it doesn't matter, your going to give it to me anyway."

"Like hell! What makes you think we would give you anything, you ugly SOB?!" Max yelled, as Mecha Norimon's arms raised off the ground.

"Oh, it's simple. If you don't want me to plunge this city into a permanent darkness, you will do what I want. I mean, this would be an ideal place for my Devidramon pets feed when they have been good little digimon." Phelesmon smirked, not seeming the least bit worried.

"Yea, well things may be a little different then planned! Garudamon, hit him hard!" Bobby called out to his partner.

"Eagle Claw!" Garudamon's fist began to glow, before slamming into the roof where Phelesmon had been standing, making a small crater.

"Well, he was all talk, right Garudamon?" Bobby laughed. Looking at his partner, the blonde Digi-Destined stopped laughing when he realized Garudamon's fist was still imbedded in the building. "Hey buddy, you can relax now. I think he's dead."

"Mecha Norimon? Hey come on, you can move now." Max said, shifting the controls around, although his digimon seemed paralyzed as well.

Black War Humon frowned. Looking at Mecha Norimon, he noticed a small sheet of red paper with some Japanese kanji written on it, sitting on the machine digimon's chest. Reaching to pull it off, he pulled back with a small cry as a jolt of energy surprised him.

"Shit..." Witchmon cursed. Grabbing her broom, she quickly flew up to Garudamon's head, finding another paper there as well. "We've got trouble!" She yelled, moving her hand over the parchment slowly, just far enough away to avoid being struck by it.

Erin looked over his shoulders at the witch digimon. "Oh yea? So, besides demon ass showing up, now whats wrong?"

Landing quickly, Witchmon looked around them, as if trying to find something. "Well, not only is jackass not dead... But he's got help. Those wards are only used by two digimon that I know of, Taomon and Doumon."

Bobby groaned slightly. "So we have two more possible Perfects besides Phelesmon to deal with?"

Witchmon shook her head. "One. Taomon and Doumon don't normally get along. We had a couple in Witchelny, and they always seemed to be butting heads."

"Right as rain!" Phelesmon's voice cackled, echoing around them. "Doumon was quite happy to take a job to eliminate a traitor of Witchelny that sided with humans!"

Witchmon blinked, looking rather shocked. "W... What are you talking about?!"

Laughter filled the air as the storm began to settle in again, heavy rain poring down. Erin looked over at Witchmon, who seemed to be in a state of shock. "Witchmon... What did he mean?"

"I... I don't know..." She spoke softly, not seeming to notice the yelling Max was doing, still stuck inside Mecha Norimon. "Do they think I'm a...a traitor?! D...does Lord Mystimon think I am?"

Watching Bobby zap himself, trying to remove the paper from Mecha Norimon, Erin turned towards Witchmon, taking ahold of her shoulder and shaking her gently. "Witchmon, come on! You know this Doumon, right?" At her nod, Erin continued. "Alright, can you find her?"

"I don't know. There were always rumors about her taking assassination jobs on digimon sometimes, but... I always thought it was just stories being spread around. Even taomon always said she didn't believe Doumon was a killer..."

"Well you need to try. Otherwise, Detroit may become the Water City, at the rate this rain is coming down."

Looking up into the assimilated teen's eyes, Witchmon's face changed from one of confusion to determination. "Alright. If I remember right, Doumon does have the ability to do things on the scale of weather manipulation, but it she has to focus. That means she's rooted somewhere right now."

"And those are her Spell Prohibition Papers. The only way to remove them is to be more powerful then her, delete her, or get her out of range of them. So she can to be close, to keep those two pinned." Witchmon looked around again, slower this time, until she noticed a nearby church with a steeple holding the cross extending above it. "There! I can feel a faint energy from there!"

Erin watched Witchmon jump onto her broom and fly off quickly. "Bobby, can you watch them?" At the boy's nod, Black War Humon followed along, taking to the air behind his friend.

Landing on the church's roof, the pair looked into the steeple carefully. A figure sat in the shadows, barely visible save the pant legs. The figure appeared to be sitting cross legged, although floating above the ground.

"Doumon! What are you doing here?"

"Well, Witchmon... It appears Phelesmon spoke the truth, when he said he would deliver you to me." The figure stood up, placing its feet on the ground. Its voice sounded female, although as it stepped from the shadows, it was a little hard to tell. The costume almost looked like something Japanese, white sleeves reaching past the digimon's arms, with a white tunic covering its torso and a yin and yang symbol on the chest. Doumon's face head was very fox like, purple fur coated it, and its face was almost flat instead of a normal muzzle. A tall hat stood on its head, making it look kind of like a priest, as it stepped onto the roof.

"Spoke the... You really are working for that demon?!" Witchmon spit the words out, as if she had trouble believing them.

"Witchelny has never turned away anyone who wishes assistance. And when Phelesmon said it was to retrieve something and the payment was you, I jumped on the job."

Black War Humon growled, moving to step forward, before Witchmon's hand reached out and stopped him, moving herself closer instead. "I'm not a traitor! Witchelny is my home, why would I betray it?!"

"You consort with humans and creatures such as that half-breed behind you, and have the gall to say something like that?!" Doumon sniffed at Black War Humon, crossing her arms as she gave him an arrogant look.

"Since when does being around humans or hybrids mean anything? You just said yourself, Witchelny is open to anyone. I don't recall anyone saying they were suddenly looked down upon." Witchmon stated, standing between the hybrid and Perfect.

"So, then you admit to having dealings with these... inferior creatures? These 'things' that would partner with digimon, and think that means they matter? Obviously Taomon must be delusional to think you would become her successor. I'll see you never even see Perfection!" Doumon's feet spread, as one of her hands came out of the sleeve, reaching into the opposite one.

"Watch it!" Erin yelled, pushing himself into the air above Witchmon and firing himself at Doumon. Pulling back one arm and leading with the other, planning to knock the digimon's lights out, Erin eyes went wide as Doumon moved with surprising speed, side stepping the first claw.

"Spell Prohibition Paper!" Erin merely saw a flash of light as Doumon's hand swiftly pulled out and slammed another of those papers against his helmet, stopping him in mid-air.

Crashing into the roof, Erin looked stunned as he tried to move his sluggish body. "Wha... did you.. do to... me?" He hissed the words out, forcing them past the invisible force trying to make his body remain stiff.

"Erin!" Witchmon ran over, kneeling down next to the hybrid warrior. She glared at Doumon, once she was certain he wasn't harmed.

"Interesting. The make-up of his power seems to be in flux. Oh well, it doesn't matter. This little hybrid is no longer a threat, even with the spell only partially working. Now, as for you..."

"Back off, bitch..." Witchmon growled, holding her broom in her hands as she placed herself in front of Black War Humon. "I can't believe D'arcmon calls you sister! She must be delusional!"

"You shall not speak of Lady D'arcmon that way!" Doumon's hand came out of her sleeve again, the open palm aimed at Witchmon. "Demon Gate Escape!" A symbol on the palm of the digimon's hand lit up, firing a beam of force at the Adult. Witchmon blocked with her broom, struggling against it, before it won out and slammed her into the next building's wall.

"Why not simply give in, Witchmon? I can make it a painless deletion for you." Doumon spoke softly as she walked to the edge of the roof, looking at the Adult embedded in the wall across from her.

"And give you... that satisfaction...? I think I would rather mate a Dagomon before that..." Witchmon glared at the Perfection.

"I am curious about something, Child." She sneered at Witchmon. "Why would you abandon us for these insects? Did they trick you with promises of power or the such?"

Smirking, Witchmon stared right into the Perfect digimon's eyes as she spoke. "They are my friends... And they have helped me start to realize what true power for someone is."

Doumon snorted as she presented her palm to Witchmon again. "Then, as your last words in this existence, enlighten me. Explain this 'true power' to me, so I can enjoy the laughter of my peers at home when I tell them as well."

Witchmon gave a deep grin. "It's the strength of will one gets from their friends. Being able to keep going, since they'll be waiting for you, and knowing that no matter what, they are always there for you."

Doumon opened her mouth, the symbol on her hand beginning to glow, but it died quickly as only a choked noise came from her as her body jerked. She looked down, finding one of Black War Humon's gauntlets impaling her.

"H... How...?" Doumon got out, turning her head back to stare at the strugging hybrid. Aside from his right arm threw her, his body seemed to be sagging, as if weighted down. His legs were spread wide to keep his balance, and his other arm was simpling hanging.

"And when she says always, she means it." Black War Humon gave a dark grin, his head still hanging partially as he pulled his claws free with a jerk. "Even when it means 'this little hybrid...!" Erin drew his arm back and across his body as he spoke, slicing his claws threw Doumon's body with a yell, cutting her in half for a moment before she shattered into specks of data.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"So, Doumon was the problem?" Emily asked, as everyone sat in her bedroom. The girls shared the bed for a seat. Witchmon spoke softly with Sue, while everyone else was discussing the battle. Bobby and Piyomon had already left for Mt. Morris, to make sure everything was alright, leaving Witchmon behind for the moment to discuss things.

"Not completely... It seems Phelesmon brought her here. Even if Doumon was the one effecting the storm and causing the power outage, Phelesmon was still the primary cause for starting it." Erin grimaced, rubbing his arms as he continued trying to force the stiffness, left behind from Doumon's spell, out of his body.

"Well, Witchelny needs to know about this." Witchmon spoke up, as she and Sue rejoined the conversation. "Everyone always dismissed that Doumon took assassin jobs, so finding out that, and that someone is trying to manipulate the leadership of Witchelny possibly, is a vote for concern."

"Alright. Then we take this to Witchelny!" Emily smiled, getting a cheer of agreement from Sue and Max.

"I'm afraid not," Witchmon said. Silencing the protests with a wave of her hand, she continued. "I don't recall Doumon ever being racist against humans before, so hearing her talk like she was... Well, it was surprising to say the least. If others in Witchelny believe the same, taking a small team of Digi-Destined could end up with us fighting the might of Witchelny as a whole."

Erin raised his hand. "Well, I'm going at least. Even if they have a problem with humans or hybrids. If Phelesmon is there, I'm in. I'm not about to let that demon continue doing things like this."

Witchmon wrinkled her nose a little as she listened. "Alright. But you need to listen to me when we get there, all right? I'm not gonna try and fight my way home, because you flipped someone off."

Erin laughed at the comment. "You got it."

Sue pouted slightly as she listened. "But can't we help, Witchie? There must be something we can do."

This time Witchmon laughed, grabbing her broom as she stood. "Keep this knucklehead out of trouble." She said, pointing her broom as a blinking Erin. "I don't feel like having to dig him out of something when I get back from the orphanage."

Sue and Emily laughed, both nodding. Erin palmed his face, while Greg sniffed slightly from the corner.

Hilary stood, looking up to Witchmon. "If the power is restored by the time you return, I can give you the coordinates so that you can have Bobby open a gate, and then use that to get to Erin, if you like." At the Adult's nod, Hilary walked out of the room.

"Well, I'll see you all soon. Nice meeting ya." Witchmon waved to everyone, blowing a kiss to Erin and laughing at the blush. "From Jill. See ya." She smirked, walking after the girl quickly.

"Alright." Emily looked over the rest of the people in her room. "Tonight, we get home and try to deal with lacking power and worried families. Starting tomorrow, we start collect provisions for Erin's trip. Sue, ask your mom if you can visit me, and we'll go tell Metal Mamemon what's been going on, so he can watch around Gear too." The Detroit team nodded, accepting the plan. "Ok, now get your butts out of my room and home, people!"

After everyone had filed out, Erin tilted his head at Emily as she sighed. "Where is your family, anyway?"

"Honestly?" Probably pulling the mall apart piece by piece looking for me... Papa is a stubborn one, and a little over protective. He's probably mugging every person he can find, to try and find me."

Erin nodded. "Well, I could fly you back, if you want. I can keep you company until they find you. Sound good?"

Emily smiled softly. "Sounds good. Give me a minute to chang, so they don't wonder why I am wearing something completely different."

Laughing, Erin nodded, walking out of the room to give the Irish girl her privacy.

*************

ToyAgu ~ Wow!

Rocker ~ What?

ToyAgu ~ That was sweet!

Flora ~ You only say that because you helped inspire it a little. Anyway, with the storm cleared and the cause gone, what will our heroes do next? Witchmon's considered a traitor to her old home, Erin wants to finish his beef with Phelesmon, and ToyAgy is having a ball! Find out what they do, next time, on Dark Diaries!"


	18. Entry 18 Welcome home, Witchmon

Almost a week had gone by since the black out. Power had been restored in short order, and Detroit seemed to be slowly getting back into it's normal swing as it dealt with the leftover problems that the dark had left it.

Emily's parents were ecstatic when they found her. When Emily explained about her leg, saying the injury was from some of the debris, she and her mother both had to keep her father from attacking Erin, at first thinking he had done it. Her parents did get her to a doctor to check up on it though, despite her argument that it was bandaged and fine.

Sue and Max didn't run into too much trouble. Both families found them sitting in a park between their homes, talking away as if it wasn't a statewide emergency.

Greg and Hilary both caught a bit of flack when they got home. Their mother had assumed they would stay at their friend's, like they said they would, instead of coming home by themselves.

Erin spent the time trying to relax. The residents of the abandoned building hadn't made any attempts to try and talk to him, but he had started a small collection of drawings that the children seemed to be leaving under his door. They were mostly random things, playing or things from school, although some did pictures of the fight they saw between Black War Humon and Devidramon. He had even gotten one request done of Frogmon, by leaving a note under the door where his pictures always appeared.

Over all, things seemed to be slowly working back to normal. Erin still found sleeping to be a little hard to do knowing what was coming though. Any day, Witchmon would come through the laptop, and he would be leaving again. He had to, if he wanted to protect his friends, Phelesmon seemed to enjoy going after them, even if it wasn't in a totally direct manner. So he had to stop Phelesmon, no matter the cost.

* * *

Dark Diaries

Entry 18 "Welcome home, Witchmon"

Written by Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

* * *

"Sheesh, Jill wasn't kidding about checking me mail…" Erin muttered as he looked through all the e-mail he had collected since he had signed up on the Chosen/Digi-Destined forum service. A lot of it built up from his lack of attention to it. Some were group mails to everyone, involving general information to everyone on the mailing list, while he found multiple from specific Digi-Destined.

Koushiro almost made up for a fourth of the e-mails, trying to find some way to get a hold of him and still offering a home, or at least a visit. He seemed more then a little determined to try and get a chance to examine Erin, which did have the teen a little uneasy. Mimi had sent a couple before and after her last visit, asking how things had been and why he wasn't being more sociable on the board.

"Mental note, ask someone why Mimi keeps threatening to drag me into a game of Truth or Dare…" Erin chuckled, as he sifted through more of the mail. He finally was getting close to finished, reading random questions that some of the other Digi-Destined around the world had asked, although not really concentrating much on them as the time passed.

"Witchmon, what is taking you so long?" The teen muttered, taking a deep breath as he moved to open a fresh E-mail.

"Well, traffic was horrible on the ride here."

Erin jumped, making a noise as he looked to his window. There floating outside, was the witch digimon, riding on her broom. Moving quickly, he moved to the window and opened it fully, letting her land inside before he cast a glance to make sure she hadn't been noticed.

"Damn it, do you want attention?!" Erin half growled as he closed the window mostly again.

"Oh quiet. I know how to keep a low profile." Witchmon dropped her broom onto the teen's bed, plopping herself down next to it. "I checked to make sure no one would see me, and I knew you would open the window fast once you noticed me."

Ignoring the groaning teen, the Adult digimon glanced at the laptop, noticing the program running. "Oh, finally catching up, eh? Hehe, Jill told me about how much mail she found that day she logged onto it."

"Yea yea…" Erin waved the comment off, shutting the program down. "So, why did you fly instead of gating here?"

"I just felt like enjoying the weather." Witchmon shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"Sure. Well, Emily said she would hold the supplies they gathered up for us. So we just need to drop off the laptop, and we're ready to go." Shutting down the laptop and closing it, Erin glanced back, noticing the uneasy shifting of Witchmon's feet. "Hey, is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Witchmon blinked, shaking her head for a moment. "Y… Yea, everything's fine. Let's just get going, alright?"

Nodding, Erin grabbed his backpack with his belongings and the laptop, before climbing onto Witchmon's broom and holding on as she took off back out the window.

* * *

"I thought you said it was close by…" Erin muttered, brushing a tree branch out of his way.

"Look, Witchelny wasn't built in a day. Besides, considering that I don't know what kind of reception we may receive, I'm taking the scenic route." Witchmon smirked back at her friend, as she continued clearing her way with swats of her broom.

Tugging a couple sandwiches out of his backpack, Erin handed one to the digimon, before munching on his own. Even if being in the Digital World was more refreshing in his fused state, walking for two days with minimal stops still took its toll. He silently just kept hoping they would arrive sooner then later, in case Phelesmon was already planning something more.

Stopping in front of the fused teen, Witchmon held her broom up to make him stop. She looked out through the brush, making him wait, before she turned and smiled. "Alright, we have a place to rest at last."

Erin blinked, before the witch digimon suddenly jumped out of the woods. A bit surprised, he quickly followed, finding his friend kneeling next to many small digimon of many varieties, ranging from a small tadpole with feet, to a mini samurai with a small wooden sword hanging on its back.

"Witchmon, you came home!" A little yellow with blue stripped ball cried out, it's feline tail and ears flicking about excitedly.

Another small digimon, this time a hyper little feline, jumped around and nearly trampling some of the other digimon around it. "I evolved, Witchmon! Remember me?!"

"Of course I remember you. So, you evolved from Nyaromon into Kittenmon? Hehe, trying to follow me, are you?" Witchmon sat on her legs, petting Kittenmon as she stopped her in her lap.

Erin watched the apparent reunion silently, giving a soft smile. He didn't want to intrude, as all the Child and Baby level digimon bunched around the Adult, all of them trying to tell her everything they could think to. Looking up from the clearing they were all in, he could see a village only a short distance away, with a small wizard looking digimon in white walking towards them.

"Well, your making quite the stir, aren't you Witchmon?" The white wizard said. Carrying a long wand with a blue snowflake on the end, his collar covered more of his face. Still, Erin could swear the digimon looked slightly familiar.

"Sorcerymon!" Witchmon smiled brightly, standing from the crowd around her and walking to give Sorcerymon a hug. The evident male was about a half a foot shorter then Witchmon, surprising Erin. Meeting the witch, he had thought that was as short as Adult digimon came, although he continued to learn new things as he spent time with his new friend.

"Well, I see your well." Sorcerymon's voice held a friendly tone to it as he hugged Witchmon back. "And who's your friend?"

Erin watched at Sorcerymon pointed at him with his wand, focusing all the attention on him. Before he could think, the crowd of digimon was soon around his ankles, bouncing around and trying to ask about fifteen things at once.

"Witchmon, a little help here?" Erin called out, afraid to move for fear of stepping on one of the small digimon around his feet.

"Sorcerymon, this is Erin. He's a new friend of mine." Witchmon lead the wizard over, kneeling down to try and calm the youngsters. Finally getting them all to relax and sit around the two Adults and human, she continued. "He came with me to check on the problem in Witchelny."

Sorcerymon stiffened for a moment. "Alright, all of you have things to be about, don't you?" The crowd groaned in protest, reminding Erin a little of the three younger orphans back home. "Don't start, now off with you all. If you're all good, you can see Witchmon again before she moves on."

Witchmon slowly stood, watching all the Baby and Child digimon scamper off, her smile slowly fading from her face. "I take it things in Witchelny are as bad as I heard then?"

"Possibly worse. Come to my home, there is much you need to know of, and many things I need to ask about." Turning, Sorcerymon lead the way back into the village.

Glancing at Witchmon a moment, Erin followed alongside the Adult, both a little unsure was coming.

* * *

Sitting at her desk, Jill sighed softly. Idly stroking Neko's fur, she stared at the picture of Erin, Selene, and herself, worrying over her older brother and Witchmon. Despite the time Witchmon had spent trying to ease her uneasy about the digimon returning to her home, the last two days without a word had just been nerve wracking.

Picking up Neko in her hands, she held the almost phantom looking feline so they were eye to eye. "Witchmon's going to be ok, right Neko? I mean, it's just a visit home, then right back. And besides, she had Erin with her." Hugging the feline close, Jill gave a sigh. She just couldn't get herself to believe something bad was going to happen in Witchelny.

"Ms. Jill?" 

Jill turned her head, smiling gently at Mary as the young girl stepped into her room. "Yes Mary? Is everything alright?"

"I was wondering… When might Ms. Witchmon be coming back? She really didn't explain why she was leaving to me and Angela…"

Ushering the young girl over, Jill pulled her up into her lap, letting Neko jump over to her bed. "Witchmon had to visit her own home for awhile is all. Apparently, some people she thought were her friends were telling lies about her, so she wanted to set it all straight."

Mary watched the older girl's face, listening intently before she gave a nod. "Ok. Do you think we could send Mr. Erin an e-mail then? He's been away for almost a month now."

Although she knew Erin would be with Witchmon, having everything explained to her by her digimon friend, she nodded. "Sure we can e-mail him. Meet me downstairs, alright?"

Watching the happy girl leave the room, she sighed. Neko jumped back into her lap, giving a mew that made her smile gently. "I know Neko… I guess I just have to try and not worry until they both come back all right, right?" Picking the small cat up, she walked downstairs with plans to send a couple e-mails out.

* * *

"They think I did WHAT?!" Witchmon screamed.

"They put out an bulletin saying you were wanted for crimes against Witchelny. Among them, deleting four digimon out of malice, all of which were citizens of Witchelny, siding with humans against us, and refusing Wisemon's orders directly." Sorcerymon took a sip of his water past the strings over his mouth. "Although I see the human part was at least accurate, although the rest of it seemed rather odd."

"It's bullshit! I haven't killed a digimon out of anything but self defense in almost a year! And I never heard an order from Wisemon, let alone met any anti-digimon humans. Whoever said this was lying!"

Erin watched quietly, taking a drink for himself as his red eyes shifted between the two digimon.

"Well, lies or not, this was official. It had the council and Wisemon's seals."

Witchmon looked like her eyes might pop out of their sockets. "All six of the council? And Lord Wisemon?" The fire that had her yelling after Sorcerymon explained what had been going on suddenly died off, looking down into her drink absently.

"Council?" Erin asked, as the pause dragged on.

Sorcerymon glanced at the human, eyeing him up for a moment before he spoke. 'The council is comprised of six Perfection or Ultimate level digimon who deal with the everyday dealings of Witchelny as well as problems that should arise in times of danger. They are a way for things to be balanced, without a sole digimon ruling everything. Although Wisemon is the leader and probably the most powerful digimon in Witchelny, the council holds almost as much rank as a whole."

Erin nodded, thinking for a moment as Witchmon remained silent. "So, something with all seven seals is obviously important, right?"

Sorcerymon chuckled. "It's nearly a call for war. Witchelny has been in a frantic state over the last few months. That's why Witchmon's sudden bulletin came as a surprise. With it's efforts to deal with large scale problems, a digimon being singled out seemed simply bizzare."

Erin took a drink, nodding. "That's why you all still welcoming her, since it seems suspicious, Right?"

"Well, that and this is my hometown." Witchmon spoke, her voice softer then before. "That's why I knew I was safe to come out of the forest here, because I knew they wouldn't think I would do the things I am being accused of."

"Of course! Now, you two relax. I need to tend to some things, and I'll return after awhile." Standing up, Sorcerymon stood up, taking up his wand as he walked around the table and out the door.

Watching the Adult leave, Erin watched as Witchmon simply held her cup quietly. Finishing his own, he patted her shoulder, starting to get rather concerned. "Witchmon, you ok?"

"The council is comprised of five Perfects and one Adult currently. Ladies Taomon, Doumon, and D'arcmon comprise the magic and wizard half currently. The other half is Lords Karatenmon, Knightmon, and…" she paused, biting her lip a moment before she continued. "…Lord Mystimon…"

"Mystimon? That's the one you mentioned before, right?" Witchmon nodded slightly, as Erin sat back against the wall. "But, why would he think you betrayed Witchelny?"

"Why indeed. But those Guard Lords never normally see past their swords." Said a female voice from the doorway.

The pair turned towards it, seeing a digimon who looked similar to Witchmon, although mainly with a coloration difference. Her dress was a dark green shade, as well as her cloak, and her skin was much more tanned compared to Witchmon's pale skin. The markings on her face and her lips were an almost white shade compared to her skin, making them stand out a little more.

"Miragemon!" Witchmon said, her cheerful tone returning. She stood up, immediately hugging the similar digimon tightly.

"I was wondering if you would ever come visit us. Guess it just takes Witchelny acting weirder then a Piemon to make you actually stop in once in awhile, eh?" Miragemon gave a playful smirk as she returned the hug.

"I'm sorry… Before all this started, I was always running errands for Lady Taomon and Lord Mystimon. I've been in the human world since then…" Witchmon pulled back slightly, still holding the digimon at her shoulders. "But obviously, I've missed a few things, being there recently."

"Hey, dun worry about it. I know you're a busy mon since Taomon requested you. You visiting is the highlight of the last half year, considering how little activity we get aside messangers."

Witchmon grinned, as she led the other digimon to the table. "I can bet. I'm surprised you're still a healer here, and not trying for a place working for Lady D'arcmon."

Miragemon shrugged, giving Erin a momentary glance. "Meh, no real urge too. While boring, it is a lot more relaxing here then it is there. Besides, with Doumon missing, Witchelny's been in a uproar of late."

The mention of the magic fox-like digimon's name made Erin stiffen up. He knew it was too much to hope that it was just a coincidence that the digimon that had blacked out half of Michigan was the same type. If he needed something to confirm it, the grimace on Witchmon's face did it in a pinch.

"Missing, huh…" Taking a sip of her drink, Witchmon handed the glass of water to her friend for one. "No one knows what happened to her? No records of her leaving Witchelny?"

"Nope. You know the Council rarely leaves Witchelny unless it is an emergency. They say one of her vassals went to her quarters, and found it completely untouched since the last time she had been seen, with her medallion sitting on her bed. No clues whatsoever have been found, but Wisemon immediately made a call for arms, making it sound like the start of an invasion or something. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's a long story." Witchmon rubbed her forehead, as she thought about where to start. "Remember when I got assigned with that Boogeymon for a recon trip awhile back? Well that was the start…"

* * *

Night soon settled on the small village, a relaxing time for Erin. Lying on the roof of Miragemon's home, he rolled the day over in his head a little.

To say Miragemon had been surprised by Witchmon's story would be an understatement. Although hearing how Erin had killed Boogeymon hadn't shocked her too much, finding out Doumon had entered the real world and tried to kill Witchmon had thrown her for a total loop. She had tried to argue it might be a different one, but it didn't take much to convince her the assassin and council member were one in the same.

"Now Miragemon's on her way to Witchelny to try and find out something, and me and Witchmon are left to try and be patient…" Sighing, Erin continued his star gazing, glad he could still do this to try and relax himself. Even after a couple of nights sleeping under the stars, the different patterns still interested him. Although, it wasn't like he saw all that many stars back home anyway.

"Having fun?" Erin turned his head, watching as Witchmon, in just her dress and gloves, walked over and sat down next to him. She turned her head to the stars watching them with him for a couple minutes before she spoke again. "Erin, I do want to thank you…"

"Thank me?" Erin blinked, turning his head to the digimon.

"Yea. For coming with… well, honestly for everything. You didn't kill me when I just sat there, while demon boy was attacking your mall… You gave me a home, helped me with FlaWizarmon and Doumon… You've saved my life a couple times now. I've learned a lot of things since I ran into you, and I'm glad I did."

Witchmon turned her head to the human, ruffling his hair as she noticed the blush on his cheeks. "You humans, you turn red so easily. I think that Mimi girl was the only human to not turn bright red at the slightest compliment or flirt."

"Bah…" Erin smirked, sitting up. "Just because I blush, since I'm not used to compliments."

Witchmon laughed softly, causing Erin to join in after a minute. As the humorous moment passed, the pair turned their eyes back to the stars, watching them twinkle in the night sky.

"Hey…" Erin blinked, squinting a little. "Did you just see something up there?"

Witchmon glanced at the fused teen, before looking back into the air. "No, but I do sense something… It's a little vague, but it's got my data crawling…"

After a moment, Erin turned his head, looking down the main street of the village and past the edge, into the blanket of darkness surrounding the small homes. Soon enough, the sound of many feet began reached his ears. Standing up, he watched as about five digimon walked up to the edge of the town.

The leader was rather obvious, a large and burly looking knight with a sword that was a tall as it was. The armor gleamed a little from the village's light, as it stopped and held its hand out for his troops to do the same. A couple Strike Dramon stood behind him, as well as some more knight looking digimon, although more like balls of armor rather then the full look the leader had.

"Attention!" A voice rang out from the air, hidden from Erin's sight as Witchmon stood up next to him. "The Lords and Ladies of Witchelny have heard that two enemies of our glorious home are within your residence. You will give these fugitives into our custody, or your village will be in direct conflict of our Lord Wisemon's command!"

"Lord Karatenmon…" Erin glanced back at Witchmon, seeing the scowl on her face. "And Lord Knightmon. This could be trouble…"

Erin nodded, feeling his nails biting into his palm as he turned back towards the small force. Sorcerymon had begun to approach it, wand in hand and a couple Child and Adults backing him up.

"What fugitives are you speaking of, my Lords? We're a small village, we don't traffic much in visitors." Sorcerymon stopped himself in the middle of the street, his allies spreading behind him to help block the street.

Next to Knightmon, another digimon landed suddenly. Although humanoid in shape, it seemed to be more bird aside from its build. It had claws for feet, and a mask over the top half of its head that was shaped like a large raven's head and a yellow stone of crystal sitting on top of it. Two black wings matched the feathers covering its body, while a dark blue piece of armor covered its chest. Erin took more notice of the two swords on its belt, both sheathed, but with its hands sitting on the gold colored hilts.

"Now now, do not lie. Reliable sources have informed us that the fugitive Witchmon and a human have been sighted entering your village." The bird-man spoke, Erin figuring he must be Karatenmon, since it was the same voice from the sky.

"Well, you're mistaken. The most we have are some newly evolved Child digimon, and our healer leaving for Witchelny for provisions. Now, if we may be excused, we are needing to sleep if we are to continue the lessons and work we must do tomorrow." Sorcerymon watched Karatenmon closely, bowing with his wand across his chest.

"Well, that's too bad. I guess we will just enjoy ourselves anyway. Knightmon, take your troops and head in." Karatenmon ignored the shocked look Sorcerymon gave as he stood again. "Look for our targets, and if anyone gets in the way, simply delete them."

Erin heard the choked noise from Witchmon, as Knightmon started to walk forward again. After two steps, Sorcerymon stepped into the knight's path, arms wide. "No! I will not simply let my town be ravaged!"

Knightmon stopped in front of the short Adult, looking down at it a moment before it grabbed the sword on its back with one hand and quickly slicing it threw the digimon blocking it. Sorcerymon's body simply stood for a moment, before it split into data in opposite directions.

"Sorcerymon!" Witchmon screamed, lunging forward as Erin put his arm out to block her. Frowning, Erin turned back towards the crowd, watching the village digimon scatter, while Karatenmon and Knightmon looked directly towards them.

"Come on, its time to go!" Erin growled, trying to push Witchmon back. After a moment of resistance, the witch digimon turned and jumped down the hole leading into Miragemon's home. Following along, he saw her run from the bedroom they landed in, quickly returning with her hat on and her hat and cloak in her hands.

"Come out, come out. We will not leave until you return with us to face your punishment!" Karatenmon taunted, sounding closer to the house.

"Follow me." Witchmon motioned, running quickly down the stairs. Following along, Erin watched the hall and kitchen pass by as he followed her out the backdoor. A small alley stood down the row of houses, no lights giving any true light into the area.

"Berserk Sword!" An explosion rang from the front of the house, sending a cloud of smoke over the rooftops.

Witchmon glanced back at the house, before she took off down the dim path between the houses. Hearing footsteps inside the building, Erin followed quickly after.

"We need to get everyone out of here. Knightmon's powerful, but he's not the brightest bulb. Karatenmon though… He's only a small step below Lord Mystimon for power and intelligence. He's dangerious to digimon of almost any level." Witchmon spoke quietly as they ran, slowing to a walk as she slipped between the buildings.

"What about the rest? Will they be much of a problem?" Erin asked as he quickly followed.

"Two are Strike Dramon. Normally dumb, but strong enough to be a annoyance. The Gladimon are a little tougher, since they are armored, but they aren't as strong. You shouldn't have too much trouble, unless your dumb enough to let them all jump you." Witchmon smirked back at the teen.

"Oh, I think I can avoid them alright. Sides, I have a present the Strike Dramon may not like…" Holding his arm up, he patted his forearm.

"Heh… Well you play nice, I'll try and evacuate as many digimon as I can." Erin nodded to the witch as she got onto her broom. And explosion came from the main street, as yells began to fill the night. "Just keep them distracted. Don't get yourself killed though, Jill would hate me…" Giving the teen's hair a ruffle, the Adult flew back into the alley, disappearing around the corner.

"Oh they'll get quite the show…" Erin's grin widened, as he walked to the mouth of the alley. Looking out, he could still see Knightmon with a Gladimon and Strike Dramon backing him up. The knight slammed its sword into the ground, leaning down near the Palmon that was cowering from the trio.

"Hey!" Erin leaned against the corner of the building, watching the trio turn towards him. "Come on, you don't wanna pick on that Child. Aren't you guys supposed to be taking me out?"

Watching the taunt work, it only took a moment before Strike Dramon and Gladimon lunged for him. Jumping back into the alley, Erin was almost at the end by the time the pair turned the corner.

"Alright, now we have some fun. Digital Assimilation!" Black War Humon appeared in a flash of purple light, jumping forward and jamming his claws into Strike Dramon's chest. After the dragon man exploded into black flecks, he jumped into the air, holding his claws together. "Terra Destroyer!" The compact ball of energy slammed into Gladimon, leaving only a crater in its place.

"So, that's all?" Knightmon spoke, watching Black War Humon float out of the alleyway. The assimilated teen frowned, recognizing the voice from the attack that struck Miragemon's house. "If that is your limit, hybrid, then you're in for a world of pain! Berserk Sword!"

Erin watched the sword slam into the ground, dodging to the side as it sent a shock wave at him. Knightmon quickly closed the gap, making the flying digimon give ground as his sword slashed threw the air.

"Berserk Sword!" Watching the sword descend, Erin brought up his arms and caught the blade between the crossed claws. The force of the attack pushed him to the ground, struggling to keep the sword from coming closer.

Holding the blade with one hand, although Erin still couldn't budge the blade. His eyes went wide as he watched the knight draw a smaller sword from behind him.

Pushing back as he let the blade go, Erin watched as Knightmon easily lifted and swung the sword again. "Berserk Sword!" The shock wave of the attack slammed dead on, throwing the hybrid fighter into the wall of a building behind him.

Trying to clear his head from the strike, Black War Humon frowned, noticing Knightmon was moving towards him with both swords drawn still. "Ok… Maybe not as easy as I thought it would be…'

* * *

"Aqua Preassure!"

Witchmon slammed the water blast into the Gladimon, finally deleting it. Leaning against the tree behind her, she relaxed a little, finally having a breather after helping taking the three Adults that had tried to come after her.

"Witchmon, are they gone?" Witchmon looked back as Kotemon, the small lizard in the kendo uniform with the wooden blade on his back, and Kittenmon, the small feline with white fur, slipping out from the woods.

"Yea, those three are gone. Why aren't you making your way to the next village like I said to?"

Witchmon slumped to the ground, still breathing hard as the two Childs got up next to her. Kotemon put his hand on her shoulder, his sleeve well past the limb, while Kittenmon slipped into her lap and nuzzled her stomach. 

"We wanna help, Witchmon!" Kotemon said. "We wanna help get those meanies out of our home!"

Kittenmon jumped a little in the Adult's lap as she agreed. "Yea, we can help. If we get Wizarmon and some more of the Child…"

"No way." Witchmon cut the pair off, making her broom float to her hand from where it had been knocked. "Karatenmon and Knightmon are Perfects. Even I don't wanna face them. Now get going so I can go get my friend."

Kotemon's body shifted, seeming to droop a little. "But what about home?"

"We'll rebuild. As long as everyone is alright, we can make a new home, that is just as nice. Now off with you two, or I'll have Alraumon make some of that mixture she makes when you've been naughty."

Watching the young digimon make a soft noise, quickly run into the woods, Witchmon gave a sigh of relief. The talk had given her a moment to catch her breath, making moving a little easier. Using her broom to help stand up, she watched as the sky lit up in the flash of attacks being thrown back and forth.

"Great… Hope he's holding his own and not just showing off…" Quipping to herself, she slipped onto her broom slowly making her way towards the noise of battle.

* * *

Black War Humon gave a grunt as he was thrown into another building. Leaning against the wall, he watched Knightmon swing the large sword around. Using his right arm on the wall, his left barely raised up to wipe a trickle of blood from his mouth. Every part of his body hurt, he had lost his shoulder guards, and his armor was dented and kinked all to heck. This fight was slowly going downhill.

"Berserk Sword!" Erin groaned, feeling the force slamming him again. While Knightmon had to be the quietest opponent he had fought, he did wish he would at least say something new. 

Pushing himself from the wall, he shook off the fogged feeling in his mind. "That… all? My little sister… hits harder…"

Knightmon didn't seem to enjoy the jab as he raised his sword to attack again. "Berserk…!"

"Poison Ivy!"

Black War Humon and Knightmon both gave a surprised look as the vines wrapped around Knightmon's head and arm. Giving a tug of his arm, Knightmon flipped the Palmon Erin had saved before over his head, landing it between them.

Knightmon stepped closer to it, raising his sword over his head. "Stupid runt. Ber…!"

Just as the sword began to descend the Perfect and Child both looked stunned, staring at Black War Humon as he appeared between them and blocked the sword with his left claws.

"What do you think your doing?" The deeper voice that echoed Erin's seemed a bit stronger as he stood before Knightmon, not seeming to notice the sword as it attempted to come closer. "She's not as strong as you, so why fight her? If you want a challenge, I'm game!" 

Just as Knightmon began to draw the second sword, the hybrid warrior's other claws moved to block it. Giving a push off the ground, Black War Humon shoved the Perfect back, forcing it onto the defense as he continued floating close and striking savagely with his gauntlets.

Striking hard enough to push Knightmon back against a wall, Black War Humon simply floated in the air, his body giving a faint glow as he watched the Perfect. "Still want to try and pick on those who aren't as powerful as you?'

Holding his swords before him still, Knightmon just stared at the hybrid. In the course of a minute, suddenly this digimon had suddenly turned the tide against him. But he couldn't understand where this burst of energy was coming from. "What are you…?"

"I'm Black War Humon. That's all you need to worry about…" The assimilated teen shifted his position in the air, drawing back one of his claws, as if preparing to strike.

"At last, we have a name for your tainted form."

Erin growled softly as he heard Karatenmon call out from above him. He had a general idea where the Perfect was, but he refused to give Knightmon an opening to attack with.

"Now, for killing soldiers of Witchelny as well as attacking a Lord of the council, technically we should simply kill you." Karatenmon landed on a roof to Erin's side, keeping himself just within Erin's sight. "However, if you turn yourself in now, along with the traitor Witchmon, we will simply put you in custody and take you in for your crimes."

"We have done nothing wrong, yet you're allowed to simply torch a village for not bending backwards for you? I think I'll take my chances…"

"Oh, well then it's your fault that she dies as well." Turning to face behind him, Karatenmon's wings extended from his body as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Knightmon, attack the Child!"

Dropping his guard, Black War Humon looked in shock at the raven digimon, before back at the scared Palmon that had tried to help him. Knowing this wasn't a bluff, he turned and shot through the air towards the small plant digimon.

"Ballistic Feathers!"

"Berserk Sword!"

Erin grunted at the force of Knightmon's attack struck him, forcing him onto his knees. Trying to push himself, he watched at the bright feather shaped blasts started to pepper the area around the small child. As the cloud of dirt finally began to settle, the teen could only stare numbly at the barren area where the Child had been deleted.

"Knightmon, finish him now. I'll go find the other traitor. Mystimon wants her brought to him personally." Karatenmon kicked off the building, taking flight as he left the armored digimon behind.

Knightmon gave a soft chuckle, watching as the hybrid slowly got to his feet and walked to the spot where the Palmon had just been deleted. He started to walk closer, intending to finish him with one strong blow.

"Why…?" Black War Humon's fists clenched inside his gauntlets, staring at the blasted area of dirt. "What was the point in deleting her? She wasn't a threat…" He turned his head back towards the Perfect, the look of rage in his eyes making the digimon pause in his steps. "So?! Tell me why!"

Not giving the knight a moment to answer, Erin was in the air again, ignoring the tears that had begun running down his cheeks from the anger he felt. As claws met blades again, Knightmon was pushed back from the force the hybrid seemed to have, before Black War Humon swung his arms across his chest sharply, breaking the blades as he slammed them together and used his claws to try and force them past.

Growling, Erin flew back from the digimon, not caring that it was staring at the broken swords in its hands. He stopped at a good distance, the dark aura forming around his body again. "This ends now! Black Tornado!" Spinning to start the tornado, Erin's body started to react, flying in the center of the attack with his arms back, barreling the horn of his helmet into Knightmon's chest. With a yell, Knightmon's body exploded into data, leaving Black War Humon floating in the street a few feet from where he deleted his foe.

Turning back, Erin rubbed his head threw the helmet. For a moment, a strong wave of Deja vu had washed over his mind as he killed the Perfect, but looking back he couldn't seem to place why. Shrugging the feeling off, he turned his mind back to the present, focusing on the next problem.

"Karatenmon! Get back here and fight!" Black War Humon screamed into the night sky. Pushing himself into the air, he searched the skies around the town, unable to find the other Witchelny Lord.

"Erin!" The assimilated teen looked down, seeing Witchmon waving to him from between a couple of the buildings. A feeling of shock ran through him as Palmon stepped out from behind her, waving her hand as well. He quickly landed, dropping to his knees as he shifted back to his fused state.

"Wow, that was impressive. Not too many can just defrag someone like Knightmon and make it look easy." Witchmon smirked, slipping under Erin's arm to help move him to the alley.

Staring at the Child digimon with her, as she tried to help by half holding Erin's leg as they walked, he finally found his voice again once he was sitting on the ground of the alley. "H… How did she…?"

"Palmon? Oh, it hurt, but I snagged her in the dust of Karatenmon's attack, before he actually struck… Luckily, I've been able to keep hidden from him, or it wouldn't have worked…"

Nodding, Erin looked down as his pants were tugged on. Palmon held her arms up, holding a small pendant on a metal cord up to him. "Here. I got it when Knightmon made me loose my grip…"

As Erin took the pendant, looking at the sword emblem on it, Witchmon gasped softly. "Erin, do you know what that is?"

Erin blinked, looking between the Adult digimon and the pendant. "Um… Jewelry?"

"Not just Jewelry." She scowled, taking it from his hands. 'This is one of the medallions of the Witchelny Council. If I had my doubts that Knightmon and Karatenmon weren't the same two, I don't anymore. I've never actually seen one of these for myself though…"

"Well, something must be going on, if they sent officials, right?' Erin asked.

"Yea… Let's get Palmon to the other village with everyone else. We need to get into Witchelny. We need to see if we can find out what's going on. Besides, now I'm worried about Miragemon, since they knew what village to attack…"

Erin nodded, pushing himself back to his feet. "Can you fly all three of us?"

Sliding the medallion into a pocket of her cloak, she gave a smirk as she lowers her broom underneath her. "Can Kittenmon purr? Hope on you two."

As the pair climbed onto the broom with her, Witchmon pulled up into the air, taking an easy flight through the streets. As they finally exited the city, a shadow seemed to grow into the form, a dark laugh coming from it before it slide back into shadows again.

* * *

Toy Agu ~ What was that?!

Rocker ~ What do you mean, 'what was that?!'. That would be called a chapter ending.

Flora ~ *laughs* I think he's a little confused.

Rocker ~ When isn't he…

Flora ~ Anyway… With there presence known and Witchelny a dangerous place to be found, Witchmon and Erin try and go under cover to figure out what's going on as well as finding Miragemon before something bad happens. But when push comes to shove, will they be able to escape before the worst comes? Find out next time, on the next entry of Dark Diaries!


	19. Entry 19 Battle Royal! BWH vs Mysti

"Have they returned?"

"Nay, my lord." Igamon knelt down at the bottom of the steps, looking at the floor. He was an odd sight, a sphere shaped body and head, with a ninja style mask covering most of it, kneeling on the plush red carpet.

"Then Knightmon and Karatenmon have failed in their mission. A pity for scum such as those to have taken the data of such noble Council members." A cloaked figure rose from the throne-like seat at the top of the step, walking down until it stood next to Igamon. "Igamon, go to the remaining members of the Council. Tell them I am calling an emergency meeting."

"Yes, my lord." Standing, the small ninja simply disappeared in a small blur, leaving the robed figure alone.

"They didn't fail, you know." Another figured emerged from the shadows, standing behind a pillar and keeping it between itself and the robed one. "Actually, they succeeded quite nicely, even if Knightmon was too weak to survive."

"I know this, Phelesmon. Everything is coming as I foretold it. They will come here soon, bringing their storm of chaos with them." The hood turned towards the pillar, two eyes beginning to glow within its shadows.

"Of course. You would never have joined us, if you did not know we were the winning side." Phelesmon slipped from behind the pillar, carrying his pitchfork by his tail as he slipped from the darkness. "After all, not everyone betrays their home based on a dream."

"I've not betrayed Witchelny!" The figure seemed to stand a bit taller, sounding shocked at the accusation. "I've done this all in the effort to make sure it survives the maelstrom that 'hybrid' is causing! I have seen what will happen, and until the wall of darkness, I will do what I must."

Shaking his head, Phelesmon took his weapon from his tail and braced against it, lazing as he watched the figure. "Whatever you say… You seem more like the Baromon you evolved from…"

"I am who I am, and I'll do what I must." The robed digimon turned, beginning to walk to the door opposite the stairs and seat. "Now leave. I must see to the council to be sure everything that must happen, does."

"Of course. But simply remember. Loyal to this place you may be, but you have debts. And your debts will be collected sooner or later!" Giving a dark laugh, Phelesmon slipped back into the shadows, leaving the figure in the darkness.

***************

Dark Diaries

Entry 19 "Battle Royal! Black War Humon Vs Mystimon"

Written by Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

***************

"We're gonna die…" Erin muttered softly, pulling the dirt colored cloak tighter around himself.

"Shut up!" Witchmon whispered harshly at the teen, as she led him through the crowds. "Keep saying that, and we'll be lucky if we don't walk into the Council itself!"

To say the experience was new to Erin was an understatement. The size of Witchelny seemed so small in comparison to what little he saw of Detroit, yet the number of digimon within its boundaries seemed to hold almost five times how many it should. It left the teen glad Witchmon knew where she was going as they traveled down the street, pushing their way past the throngs of digimon.

Tugging on the cloak he had been given after dropping Palmon off, Erin frowned again. Watching the variety of digimon moving around him, he couldn't seem to figure out how Witchmon could think he wouldn't be noticed with just the cloak on! While she would be hard to place as the specific Witchmon that they were looking for, he was rather blatantly human.

"Here." Witchmon turned in the crowd, moving towards a large building. It had the same majestic look everything in the city held, as if made for elegance rather then ease. The colors still seemed to flow together smoothly. The walls shimmered a faint blue in the early day's light.

Erin followed along as she slipped into the building, reminded of some of the nicer hotels he had seen back home. At first they walked into a hallway, the walls still shimmering as they passed open doorways. Looking through some as they passed, Erin noticed digimon in the rooms, sometimes playing with one another while others simply sat around reading.

Walking up the stairs, they moved up a couple floors before Witchmon finally lead them down a new hall. Making a couple turns, she lead the teen to a small metal door, identical to the rest they had seen aside from the odd scripture written on it like an apartment number. The Adult glanced both ways down the hall, before tracing a small rune on the door, making it slide open for them.

Erin stepped into the room, a bit surprised at the décor. While there was only one other door out of the room, the main was rather extravagant. A large window stood on the far wall with a balcony made from the same material as the walls, hanging outside it. In a corner stood a pedestal with a crystal orb sitting on top it, and next to it was a large bed with a canopy surrounding it. The walls had pictures hanging from them of various digimon, some in battles and others posing.

"Wow…" The teen stuttered as he heard the door shut behind him. 

Witchmon gave a smirk at the teen as she walked to the other door, peeking in for a moment. "Damn… I hoped she might be here…" Frowning, the Adult walked to her bed and plopped down, leaning her broom against the wall.

"This is yours?" Erin asked, sliding the hood back over his head, still looking around the room.

"Yep. When Taomon offered for me to start working as an agent for the Council, she gave me this place as my home." Witchmon gave a small smile as she spoke, looking out the large window.

"Taomon. Doumon mentioned her too, didn't she?" Erin asked, moving to lean back against the wall.

"Yea, she did. Taomon was always moving through the outer towns, helping out where she could. She even told me she was going to officially make me her successor once I returned from the mission with Boogeymon…" Witchmon continued staring out the window as she fiddled with her cloak a little.

Erin listened quietly. He was still having trouble understanding what the big deal was with this Mystimon character, if Taomon was the one who had taken her in and everything.

"Alright…" Witchmon stood off the bed, picking her broom back up. "I'm going to try and find Miragemon. You need to stay here in case she comes here, so she can know what's going on, all right?"

Scooting off the bed, Erin stood up next to the Adult, shaking his head. "No way. What if you run into one of those council digimon who are looking for us? I should go with you."

"Look… I appreciate the thought, Erin, but I have something I need to do while I look for her. It's something personal. I'll be fine." Not giving the teen a chance to argue, Witchmon walked to the window, sliding it open and leaping into the air on her broom.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Taomon sat quietly, slowly flipping through a registry book of digimon who had entered Witchelny during the last few months. Very similar in appearance to Doumon, the differences laid in the color of her fur, a tannish shade rather then purple, as well as white robes with a Japanese symbol on the chest. With her hat sitting on the desk, she turned the page idly, murmuring a little to herself.

"My apologies. I had not meant to be tardy."

Taomon looked up from her book at the voice, wrinkling her nose slightly. "'Tis not a problem."

Stepping in front of the desk was an angelic sight, literally. With two pairs of golden wings stretching out behind her as she walked, two pieces of golden armor covering her shoulders and chest, as well as wrapping around her waist. A couple brown leather straps connected the two pieces, crisscrossing her stomach, with the bottoms holding two swords at her sides and a long loincloth with Indian styled designs hung in front of her hips and legs. Blond hair appeared from underneath the red hat on her head, with a matching strip of fabric wrapping around her neck and shoulders, while a golden mask covered the upper half of her face, leaving only her eyes visible. Finally, a green jewel sat on the front of the headdress with a gold trim around it and a pair of small white wings extending from the sides.

"You do not care for a private meeting, D'arcmon?" Taomon asked, tilting her head as she slipped a sheet of paper into her place and closed the book.

D'arcmon adjusted her swords, taking a seat in the only chair before the desk. "No. Many would think we are conspiring against them, would that they found out."

Taomon steepled her fingers in front, trying not to smile as she nodded in agreement. "And yet, you still came…"

The angelic digimon frowned slightly, reaching up under the wrapped cloth around her neck and touching the medallion lying underneath it. "Perhaps… If secrecy have a place, if one is to battle the forces that would rally against us."

"Then the meeting earlier has you worried as well?"

"Our Lord Wisemon declaring outright war on the hybrid and the rogue Witchmon, with little said to make it seem the human world will be next? That is great cause for worry." D'arcmon said as she adjusted the swords again.

"Yes… First, the digimon sent into the human world that we lost, then one of our own sides with the humans against us. Now, the traitor and some unique hybrid have entered the Digital World with the intent to try and undermine Witchelny? It seems a bit suspicious to go through so much trouble for an Adult and hybrid." Taomon placed her hands in her lap, still watching the angel closely.

"So it would seem. Yet we are currently at half strength. Knightmon and Karatenmon have yet to return from their visit to some of the farther villages under our rule, and Doumon still has not been found."

"Always the direct one, D'arcmon…" Taomon allowed herself a small smile as she nodded in agreement. "Even with the power we have, in addition to the Council medallions, we could possibly be overwhelmed if someone were to attack in force."

Opening a drawer on her desk, Taomon pulled a small medallion out, placing it on the desk. The symbol of a staff stood out on the face.

"We cannot count on Doumon's return. For all accounts, Wisemon's words of her death may be true. However, I find it hard to believe Witchmon could do it herself. She is only an Adult, and even with this unknown hybrid, it seems unlikely they could match Doumon in battle."

D'arcmon looked to the medallion as Taomon spoke, nodding in agreement. "And yet, the hybrid is as you said, the unknown factor. We know next to nothing of him, yet he continues to be brought up. Wisemon's decree that he be killed on sight seems a bit harsh. So much data could be gathered from such a unique monster, perhaps allowing us greater knowledge of these humans who call themselves Chosen and Digi-Destined as well."

Taomon smirked softly as D'arcmon's thirst for knowledge came out a little. "Perhaps… Wisemon's rulings are not always to be followed?" She offered, watching the angel closely as she silently prayed she had not planned this incorrectly.

The Adult sat in her seat silently, staring at the medallion as she thought. Finally she looked up into the Perfect digimon's eyes. "Such words could even bring a Council member to be deleted."

"They could, should the wrong digimon hear them." Taomon stood up, turning away from D'arcmon as she walked to a window over looking the city. Sliding her hands behind her back, she looked out at the digimon in the streets as she continued. "But with Lord Wisemon's erratic attitude of late, as well as the other strange occurrences, perhaps Witchelny needs to be sure it can defend itself. That is what we swore to do, when we each joined the council, was it not?"

D'arcmon stood and followed the Perfect digimon, looking out across the city herself as she thought over the words. "We would need to be careful. The others would surely think our actions treason should they realize what we are about."

"Well, Mystimon is the only one to worry about. He's fiercely loyal to Wisemon, and has become even more stubborn about seeing things how he wishes to perceive them of late."

"Taomon? Was not the traitor a follower of his as well?" D'arcmon asked as she looked up to the robed digimon.

Taomon nodded slowly, letting a soft sigh out. "Aye… Witchmon often ran missions for Mystimon, as well as training with myself. If not for all of this, she would have taken my place on the Council once my core finally stopped."

D'arcmon paused for a moment, caught by surprise. "I was unaware… No one stated the traitor Witchmon was your student as well. But why did she do missions for Mystimon, if she was under you? It is not often magic and warrior digimon mix once they begin working for the council."

"Mystimon had met Witchmon before I chose her… Actually, it was his recommendation that pointed her out to me. Witchmon told me Mystimon saved her once from being absorbed from a rogue demon type in the area around her village a few years back. A Boogeymon, I believe."

"I don't recall this. Even when I looked through the files that concerned any past incidents. A Boogeymon being taken down by a council member would surely be a big enough event to have been logged."

Taomon frowned slightly as she nodded. "It would have… But I met the same problem when I looked into it. When I asked Mystimon about it, he seemed nonchalant about it. He said that it was such a small incident that it wasn't enough to bother with logging."

D'arcmon scoffed softly as she shook her head. "Warrior types would considering something like that a trivial matter… It seems even someone like Mystimon will cut corners if he is being lazy."

A soft laugh came from the fox digimon as she nodded. "Aye, although some magic types will too."

"And any who do always meet with dire problems, since they are always found out. The laws are in place for a reason. As such, they should be obeyed, even if it is 'inconvenient'."

"You grumble about him cutting a corner concerning a minor report, yet you conspire with me concerning the current events? Isn't that a little hypocritical?" Taomon looked down at the shorter digimon, watching her reactions again.

D'arcmon frowned slightly as she crossed her arms, obviously having not paired the two thoughts together until they were mentioned. "Perhaps… Sometimes, the rules can be bent, when the need is great enough. His was a matter of laziness, ours is one of concern for all of Witchelny."

"As long as you remember that. You should go since classes will begin soon. I would appreciate it if you would look in on the Child and Adults. To be sure nothing abnormal is going on."

D'arcmon nodded. Turning from the older digimon, the angel extended her hand, a walking stick with a small, golden egg capping the top. Two small wings extended from the top of the small staff, similar to the angelic digimon's. The stick made a small click as it touched the ground, the angel soon disappearing from Taomon's view.

"And slowly, everything starts to come undone…" Taomon sighed to herself as she turned her gaze back to the street, the unease she had been feeling growing stronger as the sun slowly moved into late day. The shadows being cast around the city seemed to have an uneasy feel about them, almost as if they might blanket the city and never release it.

"Time always brings change… I hope you have changed enough to handle the problems you will encounter, my student…" Taomon whispered to herself, turning away from the window.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Witchmon looked around quietly, walking down another hallway with her broom over her shoulder. After leaving Erin behind, she had flown straight to the one place she hoped she could get answers from, even if it happened to be within Witchelny's main citadel.

Rounding another corner, the Adult frowned slightly. Her target wasn't exactly deep into the huge building, but she had decided to take the long road to try and avoid being noticed. Unfortunately, it had been ages since she had used the halls she was in right now, making it a pain to make sure she was going the right way.

Turning into a hall with windows along the right side, Witchmon gave a soft smile as she looked out, recognizing the view. 'Almost there.' Turning to continue on, she tilted her hat over her face a little as she passed a couple Gladimon, trying to avoid being noticed.

It was still awhile before she reached her destination, an ornate door with a purple coloration and a yin yang symbol in the center. Witchmon looked both ways down the hall, being sure no one was around, before she traced a small symbol on the door, grinning as her unlocking spell still worked fine and the door slid open.

"Never should have taught me that spell…" Witchmon whispered to herself as she slipped into the room. Looking around the cluttered mess Doumon's office was in, the Adult frowned a little deeper, worrying someone else had beaten her to the punch of looking through the Perfect's items before she could.

Moving to the desk, Witchmon quickly started looking through the various files and papers littering the surface. Student files, reports on the meat fruit being harvested this year, she quickly skimmed and passed the majority of the files as she searched. "Come on… Doumon's had to have left it here somewhere…"

"Looking for something?"

Witchmon immediately swung her broom behind her, intent on blasting the voice's owner before she could be attacked. She didn't even think who the voice's owner might be, as she felt around the room to find a magical signature.

"Put that down. We'll not be starting a fight here." Witchmon blinked as Taomon stepped out from behind a curtain, staring in surprise as the Perfect walked over towards her.

Witchmon tensed as she almost reached her, tightening her grip on her broom. "How do I know you're the real Taomon?"

"Aside from meeting you here without trying to attack you? Perhaps the fact that I still remember some of the more 'entertaining' moments of teaching you your first lessons. Like when you were wanting to mate that little Sorc…"

Witchmon's eyes were wide as she clamped her hand over her mentor's mouth, cheeks slightly flushed. "Alright, you're Taomon already!" After a moment, she pulled her hand away, giving the older digimon a hug. "Sorry… I've just been really paranoid obviously…"

"Understandable. But that does beg the question, why would you risk entering the Citadel knowing you're a wanted 'mon here?"

Pulling away slightly, the Adult gave a soft sigh as she looked up at her mentor. "I needed to find out what's going on. Doumon coming after me in the real world… My home village being attacked by Karatenmon and Knightmon… Even FlaWizarmon coming after me at one point… It's all very confusing."

Witchmon began relaying everything that had happened since the mission with Boogeymon, using as few details as possibly since she knew she was on a short time limit. Skipping the minor relationship that had been developing with the young blond in the orphanage, she and Taomon ended up sitting in the chairs of the room as she finally finished.

"Quite the tale… If it was anyone else, I might think you were trying to lie…" Taomon tapped her chin softly as she thought. "So that was why FlaWizarmon disappeared. Not a big loss, but it does explain it. But why would Mystimon send him? Even he disliked the little fire starter."

"No clue… Doumon shocked me more though…" Witchmon stated, slumping in her chair a little.

"It is a most uneasy thing to know. I never thought Doumon truly did assassination jobs. Try and one up me, perhaps. Even doing something to try and show me up. But never killing other digimon for money." 

Taomon sounded a little sad as she spoke, making Witchmon look at her curiously. "I thought you two could barely stand one another, Taomon?"

Taomon gave a weak smile as she watched the Adult. "Most would think the same, Witchmon. But now is not the time for my tales. I believe this is what you were looking for?" The Perfection level slipped a pair of thick books from her sleeve, passing them to the Adult.

Witchmon's eyes widened as she looked at the covers. "Doumon's journal! This is it! But how did…" Taomon's waving hand quieted her question, as she looked at the cover of the other. "Taomon… This is…"

"Witchmon, we have no time for questions. Your friends are quite possibly in danger. Mystimon has been almost constantly patrolling the streets, and if he should find either of them…" Taomon spoke in a stern voice as she stood.

"By the five digital gods…" Witchmon's voice was barely a whisper as she realized the danger Miragemon and Erin both could be in, with Mystimon on the streets. "Taomon, if you meet the Miragemon of my village, please help her get home safely, alright?!" She asked in a panicked tone as she slid the large books into the confines of her cloak.

"Of course. Here, take this as well." Taomon slipped her hand into her sleeve again, pulling out a small medallion much like the one Witchmon had gotten after the fight with Knightmon, but with a staff in place of the sword upon it.

Witchmon stood, her hands slowly taking the medallion in her hands. "This… It's a medallion of the council…"

"Doumon's, to be precise. With the current state of Witchelny, I do not wish it to fall into the wrong hands. Perhaps it can be of some use to you."

Witchmon nodded, slipping it into her cloak as well. "I'll guard it with my life, Taomon."

Taomon smiled softly. "Now, do not be so serious. It is not very becoming on you. I know it is stressful, young one. And it will probably become more so in the time yet to come. But that carefree attitude that so annoyed me in a one time student of mine has always been your best way for dealing with things."

Witchmon looked up at the Perfect level fox, smiling softly as she gave her another hug. "You know, a couple human friend of mine told me what a mother and father are. If digimon had them, I would have liked you as my mother, Taomon."

Taomon's hand brushed the witch's back softly as she returned the sentiment. "Maybe once this is all settled, you can introduce me to these humans. If you enjoy their company, I am sure I shall as well."

The Adult grinned as she pulled back. "I'm sure you would. But Jill's off limits." She winked at Taomon, slipping her broom under herself quickly.

The pair both looked to the window in shock as an explosion rocked the room slightly, the slowly settling evening being interrupted by the bright flash of light appearing in one of the streets.

"Mystimon…" Taomon's voice spoke softly as she stepped up to the window. "I would recognize his energy easily." The perfect looked back at Witchmon, glad to see the look of worry she expected replaced with fierce determination.

"Will the defenses notice me leaving from here, Taomon?" Witchmon asked quickly, already sliding the window open.

'You would leave whether they would or not…' Taomon smiled to herself as she watched her successor moving. "I'll make sure they do not. Now go, you have much to prepare for." Taomon pulled back, moving the curtain to the side as she slipped from the room to ensure the Adult's safe passage.

Witchmon watched her former teacher leave, giving a small smile herself. "Thank you Taomon… For everything…" Shaking the sentimental moment away, Witchmon took to the air, pushing herself to the street level quickly, hoping she would not arrive too late.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"I hate waiting…" Erin muttered as he walked through the crowd. It felt like it had been more then a few hours since the Adult had left, and he hadn't heard a thing. No matter what he tried to do to distract himself, he couldn't seem to stop worrying longer then a few seconds. Leaving a small note saying he would return shortly, Erin had decided to look around the area of the building in hopes to finding Miragemon.

Hearing something ahead of him, the teen slipped through the crowd further. Keeping his cloak pulled tightly, he looked around the mulling digimon for the noise's source. He blinked in surprise as he found a tall figure with a tall purple hat and matching cloak holding the arm of a Sorcerymon.

"I don't know, my Lord!" The very feminine voice from Sorcerymon surprised Erin for a moment, still not used to knowing identical digimon were boys and girls.

"You need not fear persecution, should you reveal thy truths." The voice from the tall figure sounded very different compared to the Adults. It was most definitely male, and spoke smoothly, kind of like some of the actors Erin had seen in movies before. The hair stood on the back of his neck as he watched, still slipping a closer.

"You were seen conversing with the Miragemon of the traitor's village. If you tell me of her location, I will not submit a ruling for assisting traitors of Witchelny." As Erin got closer, he could make out a piece of armor extending over the cloak. He watched as the hand lifted the small digimon into the air, revealing a rather ornate and large forearm piece of armor.

"I don't know… I didn't know she was connected to the traitor, please Lord Mystimon!" Sorcerymon pleaded.

'Mystimon! Is this the same one Witchmon talks about?" Erin thought, watching at the tall digimon turned his head slightly, letting him see the matching piece of armor partially covering his face.

"Core Dart!" Mystimon's voice rang out as a sphere of glowing energy emerged from beside him, flying directly at the human. Erin barely had time to react, jumping to the side as it smashed through the wall, leaving a hole where he had been standing.

Looking up, Erin got his first good look at the digimon he had been hearing so much about. The pieces of armor covered both of Mystimon's forearms, both having a small bulge with a silver barrel on its end near his wrists. Two small bands wrapped around his upper arms, before coming to the large piece of armor covering his chest and shoulders, seemingly layered from the look. Twin shoulder pieces extended out, arching up a bit and curving into points, while it wrapped loosely around his head and neck to protect them. With a semi-loose maroon bodysuit underneath the armor, a belt with a six pointed, gold star held two pieces of matching armor over the outside of his thighs, while a emerald like gem sat in the center of the star. With a strip of purple fabric extending from the star to past his knees, two ornate boots held his feet as he stepped closer.

Erin grunted softly as he watched the digimon moving, still holding the scared Sorcerymon in his grip. "You claim to not know information, yet the wanted hybrid comes to your aid? Would thou consider me a fool?"

Sorcerymon's struggled stopped as she stared at the Perfection. "N…Nay! I've never met this creature, my Lord! Please, believe me!"

"She's right." Erin growled as he stood up, brushing his pants off. "I only took an interest because I hate bullies."

Mystimon looked between the Adult and the teen, barely giving a hint of the blondish/orange hair under the hat, as he contemplated it. Erin simply watched, a bit surprised as he noticed a similar black mark coming from underneath Mystimon's eyes, although they were mostly hidden from view because of the hat and armor piece above his face.

"I will deal with thou later. Return to thy home, Sorcerymon." Mystimon placed the digimon on the ground, no longer caring about her as she ran away.

Erin glanced around a moment, noticing the crowd he had been fighting before had completely disappeared from around him and the Perfect. 'Guess disguises don't matter now…' Reaching up, he undid the small button holding the cloak around his neck, letting it drop behind him.

"I was right." Mystimon said, sounding completely at ease as he squared off with the human. "You are the hybrid we are looking for. You will come with me then. Resist and I will use force. Fight, and I have orders to delete you on sight."

"I don't think so," Erin said, crossing his arms. Although Mystimon only seemed to move his face slightly, he could tell the digimon wasn't used to people simply refusing what he told them. "I haven't done anything to you. So why am I being treated like a criminal?"

Reaching to his hip, Mystimon drew a long blade from beneath the cloak, the handle golden with curved spikes on the crossbars. The blade itself had small inscriptions running halfway up the blade, before a small dark sphere was placed in the center, with a white one near the tip. They matched the bluish orbs in his forearm and thigh pieces of armor, although not noticing the black crystal in the headpiece made Erin a little more wary.

"You have deleted citizens of Witchelny, attacked members of the Ruling Council, and assisted in an act of war against Witchelny." Mystimon pointed the blade's tip at Erin, as the metal slowly began to glow. "For these reasons, you have been found guilty and will be deleted in the name of Witchelny and it's leader Wisemon." The sword made a crackling noise as flames wrapped around it.

"Wha… Wait, I get attacked, but I'm in trouble for defending myself?!" Erin took a step back from the flaming weapon. "That doesn't seem very fair…"

"Your lies will not assist you here. We have been told of your crimes, and justice will not be served!"

Erin jumped to the side again, this time dodging the strike from the flaming sword as it tried to slice him in half. Quickly getting to his feet again, he watched Mystimon take the sword in both hands, preparing to strike.

"Alright… If it's a fight you want, I'm game! Digital Assimilation!" Erin cried out as his body was wrapped in the black bodysuit and armor, minus the shoulder guards. Bringing his gauntlets up in front of him, his claws glinted in the dimming light. "Black War Humon's up for the challenge."

"Very well. Have at thee!" Mystimon charged in quickly, not seeming phased at the hybrid's new from. Flaming sword met claws in a bright flash as the pair pushed against one another. The pair struggled back and forth for a few moments, before the Perfection finally pushed Black War Humon away, his sword arcing downward.

"Core Dart!" Mystimon called out before Erin had his balance back, the sphere flying towards him again. The hybrid yelled as it slammed into his chest, exploding and throwing him back farther, landing and skidding down the street before he finally came to a stop.

"Damn it…" Erin growled as he pushed himself up on his claws and knees. His body was still aching from the battle with Knightmon the night before and he hadn't had a chance to try and rest, let along heal. He looked up, watching as Mystimon began closing in on him again.

"To think, you deleted Knightmon. I always knew he was a weakling, but if someone of your strength defeated him, my point was proven." The warrior pointed his sword at the hybrid again, watching him closely. "I'll give you another chance. Will you come along?"

"Terra Destroyer!" Erin collected the energy into a small ball, tossing himself to his side as he flung the attack at Mystimon. As the attack exploded, Erin took a moment to catch a breath, standing and leaning against the wall of a building.

"I see… Pity…" Erin blinked as the strong voice rang out from the cloud of smoke, barely jumping into the air before the sword stabbed into the wall. He looked down at Mystimon, his armor slightly dirty, but otherwise seeming unfazed from the attack.

"You can not run, hybrid. Core Dart!" Pulling the sword free and slipping it around in his grip, Mystimon braced his left arm as he began firing a barrage of small shots of energy at Black War Humon.

Grabbing his shield, Erin held it together in front of him, blocking most of the attacks. A few stray shots still clipped his arms and legs, bringing a growl from the hybrid, as he continued floating higher to try and escape the assault.

Feeling his shield no longer shaking from being attacked, Erin slid it into place on his back, looking around the ground for the missing Perfection.

"Blast Fire!" Erin looked up, watching as Mystimon leapt from the building opposite him and slammed the fire blade into his side. The teen yelled in pain as the attack exploded into his side, sending him slamming into the ground and a couple small businesses stands as well.

Growling softly, Black War Humon pushed a few pieces of wood off of himself, climbing from the debris he had collected during his descent. He noticed Mystimon walking towards him again, still seemingly uncaring about his opponent. Stumbling off the pile of garbage, Erin started walking towards the swordsman, ignoring the pain wrenching in his side.

"You're still standing? Perhaps you have more power then I first assumed." Mystimon stated simply, setting himself into a fighting stance.

"I'm just getting warmed up." Erin grinned, trying to seem unfazed as he got into a ready pose to try and be able to at least stop the next attack.

"Solar Winds!"

Erin winced as a bright light flashed and the sudden heat around him. As his sight cleared, he found Mystimon holding his hand over his eyes, apparently more hurt then he had been.

"Erin, come on!" Black War Humon turned to find Miragemon standing behind him, wearing a green piece of fabric that covered her face save her eyes, as she pulled on his arm. Giving a momentary glance at the blinded warrior, he nodded and followed the Adult, running through the crowd until they ducked into an alley.

"You know, Witchmon's assessment of you jumping in over your head wasn't off at all…" Miragemon muttered as she made sure no one could see them easily, tugging the mask down to her neck. "Battling Mystimon, even when uninjured is a idiots move, especially if you aren't ready."

Holding his side, Erin simply watched the alley's mouth, trying to watch for anyone following them. "How did you find me?"

Miragemon smirked. "You're lucky. I noticed you when you dropped your cloak. If not, you might be dead right now. Now mind explaining why you're here and not back at my village, while I try and patch you up?"

"Tender Loving Care." Erin's cheeks flushed brightly at the attack name, feeling Miragemon working on healing him. As he watched the street, he explained about the attack from the two lords. Erin looked back to the Adult, noticing the somber look on her face as she healed the bleeding crack in his armor as well as the metal.

"Sorcerymon… Even if I've always been a little skeptical about the way the Council and Wisemon did things, he's always believed in them. I just…" Miragemon sniffled softly as her glowing hands finally dimmed.

Erin stretched his body a little. While he wasn't anywhere near one hundred percent, he was definitely more up to par then he had been when the fight started. "Don't worry, Miragemon. We'll make sure Karatenmon pays for what he did as well. I promise."

The sniffling Adult looked up to the hybrid, wiping at her eyes as she nodded. "Right. Besides, if most of the village got out, we'll be all right. Now, we should get out of here before Mystimon finds us."

"Core Dart!" The rapid fire from Mystimon's attack pelted along the wall just outside the alley.

Black War Humon frowned, watching the empty street where his opponent was. "Too late… Get out of here, Miragemon. Head back to the village near yours, the others are waiting for you." Miragemon opened her mouth to protest, but Erin gave her little chance as he took to the air and flew out of the alley.

"Terra Destroyer!" Erin quickly flung the large ball of energy at Mystimon, watching the Perfect back away. Taking the initiative, he swooped down into his off guard opponent, gritting his teeth at the heat from the blade as he slammed himself into Mystimon's chest. "Black Tornado!" Spinning with his opponent in his hold, Erin used the tornado around him to keep his speed as they began slamming into wall after wall.

Finally, Erin threw the digimon away from him, landing with his claws at the ready. He had no idea how many building they had crashed through, nor did he care for the moment. As Mystimon began getting back to his feet, Erin grabbed a fruit cart lifting it over his head and throwing it with a yell, watching as it broke into pieces on the Perfect.

"So, got your second wind?" Mystimon asked as he stood from the wreckage, giving his sword a wide swing to clear the debris. "Good. I was beginning think you wouldn't be any form of a challenge. Core Dart!" The sphere of energy appeared from Mystimon's side, swinging in the air and aiming for the hybrid.

Erin blinked at the sphere coming back, bringing his shield up and sliding in the dirt as the attack exploded.

Growling as he slid the shield back into place, Erin saw Mystimon standing with his sword in both hands again. "God damn it, don't you stay down?!" He yelled in annoyance.

"As long as those who defy Witchelny and would do them harm abound, I shall not deviate from my path!"

"Yea yea, Lancelot…" Erin took to the air again, flying low as he lunged with his claws. He slammed into the blocking sword, pushing the Perfect back now with his claws crossed before the fiery blade. Before he could press the advantage more, Mystimon twisted himself, leaning backwards and throwing the pushing hybrid in the same effort.

Flipping in the air, Erin frowned as Mystimon quickly turned and readied himself. Landing, he started grabbing random objects, crates, carts, even some chairs, trying to keep the barrage of items going as long as he could. Mystimon hardly seemed fazed as he slashed the objects into pieces. Right as the last object left his hands, Erin grabbed the shield off his back, putting it together and throwing it like a frisbee before jumping into the air.

Mystimon's sword met every object with his sword, but the clang as he struck the shield made him pause a moment. Just as he looked up, Erin's claws slammed into the warrior's chest, sending him flying back down the street again.

Erin reached his hand out, pulling his shield back to him. It reached him just in time, as Mystimon released another 'Core Dart' ball at him, exploding against the shield as he held it in front of him. Before he moved, Mystimon used the attack again, small energy blasts peppering the metal. The hybrid was more then a little startled when the shield first began cracking fully through, before shattering into data from the barrage, leaving him being struck with the remainder.

As Black War Humon landed, breathing heavier after the attack, Mystimon stood with sword in hand again. The Perfect was finally looking a little worse for the wear, but seemed to still be running fine.

'How… How am I supposed to take him out, if he just keeps coming? He's like freakin' Frankenstein without the fear of fire…' Erin growled as he thought, putting his gauntlets up as he backed away from the Perfection.

"Do you admit defeat, hybrid? You are proving an entertaining opponent, but I will be forced to stop holding back if thou doest continue this folly." Mystimon watched Erin's movements, as he continued holding his claws up. "So be it. Your time is now up."

Black War Humon watched the council member reach inside the circle of armor directly around his head and neck, his lips moving as he held up something from inside it. He lowered the object outside his armor, revealing a medallion that Erin could just make out, looking similar to the one Knightmon had been wearing. This one, however, had a weird glow around it, as Mystimon took his sword in his hands and brought it up in front of his face.

"Core Dart!" Erin's eyes went wide as five balls appeared from behind Mystimon, all descending on him. Jumping back to avoid the first, his luck ran out as two more struck his shoulders and forcefully slammed him into the ground. As the last two exploded on his chest and head, Erin's sight swam, trying to force his hurt body to stand again.

"Thus is the fate of all who oppose Witchelny and our Lord Wisemon…" 

Black War Humon could just barely make out Mystimon standing over him. Halfway sitting up, he swung his left arm at the digimon's legs, trying to strike before Mystimon could again.

"Blast Fire!" Erin screamed as the fire blade swung down and slammed into his arm, shattering the gauntlet protecting it. Rolling to his side over the numb feeling limb, Erin glared up at Mystimon, watching him turn his body and draw back his blade.

"Blast Fire!" The hybrid teen didn't even make a sound as the powerful attack slammed into his chest, pushing the air out of his body as he was thrown through one wall and stopped by the next.

Erin lifted his head a little, the armor around his body in a constant state of static haze, seeming to phase in and out from around his body, before his head dropped with a thump. The armor disappeared in a flash of purple, leaving then injured and bleeding teen laying on the floor of the house he had been thrown into.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Mystimon slowly stepped inside the hold made from his opponent's flight, examining the unarmored teen a moment. "I did warn him. Twas his destiny to die, so now or later makes no difference."

"Lord Mystimon, stop!!"

Mystimon paused, looking over his shoulder at the floating form of Witchmon. He turned from the building, taking a step from the hole as he watched the traitor in the air. "Well, seems my day is filled with good fortune! First the hybrid, and now the traitor! Come down and give yourself up, I've no desire to strike ye down as well."

Witchmon stiffened on her broom as she looked down at the warrior lord. "Lord Mystimon, you have to listen to me! I'm not a traitor! Erin isn't a threat to Witchelny! This is all some trick, or something!"

"Spare me, traitor! The words against ye were spoke by Lord Wisemon himself! Would ye question his word?"

Witchmon slowly floated down to the ground, watching Mystimon closely as she landed on the opposite side of the street from him. "I don't question his word. But I do question his sources. A Phelesmon has been causing trouble for that human you just beat, and was also responsible for Doumon's disappearance."

"I'm asking… I'm asking you, as a friend. Please, believe me, Lord Mystimon." Witchmon carried her broom in her hand, holding her arms wide to show she would not attack as she slowly moved closer to the swordsman, stopping when she stood right before him. Mystimon looked down into the Adult's eyes, a bit surprised by the determined look in her gaze.

"We have known each other a long time, Witchmon. And now you would stand against me, the one who asked Taomon to teach you? The one who saved you all those years ago?" Mystimon questioned, his sword still flaming, but pointed at the ground.

"I don't want to… But I need to do what's right. YOU taught me that, Lord Mystimon. You told me that sometimes the right thing isn't always what everyone thinks it is, and that you need to decide what it is for yourself. I decided, and I'm staying by Erin's side for now. Phelesmon wants him, and I plan to be sure that demon falls."

Mystimon simply stared at the witch a moment longer, before his ears caught the sound of troops making their way towards his location. Not giving her a moment to react, the council lord grabbed Witchmon by the collar of her dress and threw her into the room with the human. "Blast Fire!" He stabbed his sword into the wall above the hole as he attacked it, exploding it and causing most of the building to cave in upon itself.

"Mystimon!" Mystimon turned his head to D'arcmon as she stood at the head of a small troop of Gladimon and Wizarmon. "We heard of the battle with the hybrid human. Have you apprehended him or the traitor?"

Turning to his fellow lord, Mystimon gave a final glance at the rubble where Witchmon and the human had been. "No, my Lady D'arcmon. I was unable to capture him before he could escape. The traitor never entered my sight."

*************

ToyAgu ~ *blinks in surprise*

Rocker ~ Not again… Now what knocked his brain loose?

Flora ~ *giggleS* I think he is surprised about the fight's ending? Maybe?

Rocker ~ *sweatdrops* Flora, did you even read it?

Flora ~ *shakes her head* After Taomon and Witchmon's talking, I went to work on ideas for that Frontier story you have been working on.

Rocker ~ *groans* Bloody Muses… Never letting me rest…

Flora ~ *smiles* Why would we do that? Anyway, Erin has been dealt his first defeat. How's he going to handle it? How's he going to heal up? Who's this guest star that Rocker keeps mentioning in his sleep? Find out next time, in the next chapter of Dark Diaries!


	20. Entry 20 Phelesmon the thief!

At times, the world seemed to be something large and out of reach to Jack Wolf, while at other times so small and in the palm of his hand. As an agent of the government, and even during his college days, Jack had seen many things he never thought he would before, even things he never knew existed.

This was why days where nothing was happening were among Jack's favorite. Lying on a patio chair behind the orphanage, the agent was enjoying the piece and quiet for once. Beverly had taken the children out for ice cream in town, leaving him to his own devices for awhile, and while he loved the children dearly, he wasn't complaining one bit.

"This is the life… A house and woman to come home to, children to play with and help, it doesn't get much better then this… Wonder if I can request retiring here?" Jack mused to himself, adjusting his sunglasses as he lay only in a pair of swimming trunks. "I bet Bev would have a heart attack if she heard me say that…"

Laughing to himself, Jack blinked as a loud crash from inside the house caught his attention. Reaching for the small gun tucked away in the folded clothing next to him, the agent stood and walked into the kitchen, trying to figure out just where the noise had originated.

'Hope it's not another one of the mob idiots… The blood from the last one took forever to clean.' He thought to himself as he slipped into the dining room. There were still no signs of anything wrong, although someone breaking and entering in the middle of the day was suspicious enough for him.

Starting to walk down the hallway, Jack finally heard something new, being able to hear someone talking. Unfortunately it was too low for him to make anything out besides the low buzz of the voice, but the small banging around made it easier to track as it led him to Beverly's study.

Kicking the door open, Jack turned into the small office with his gun in front of him. He blinked for a moment, the sight of Witchmon trying to help a teenager with brown hair off the floor was more then a little surprising. The fact that the arm not around Witchmon's shoulders looked like it was covered in bruises, as well as more injuries covering the boy's body, made it even weirder.

'Something new every day… I own Zan a beer…' Jack thought to himself as he moved to help the digimon.

------------------------------

Dark Diaries

Entry 20 "Phelesmon the thief!"

Written by Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

------------------------------

Jill ran through the house frantically, trying to grab as many things as she could carry in her arms. After returning home to find Erin and Witchmon both back, the sight of her older brother had nearly given Ms. Klink and herself a heart attack! While her caretaker and Jack tried to get Erin comfortable, Jill had grabbed all the bandages and other items for injuries she could find, finally getting back to Witchmon's room with them.

Lying on the bed so his left side was away from the wall, Jill noticed Erin still hadn't moved. With his head and left arm out from under the sheet, he barely seemed like he was breathing either. Setting the items on the table next to him, she stood over the bed, unable to see how he could sleep so peacefully when his body looked like it was hurt so badly.

"He's a tough one." Witchmon said, surprising Jill as she stepped up behind her. She wrapped her gloved arms around the young girl's shoulders, looking down at the teen in her bed. "I'm still surprised after Miragemon was able to heal him up again, he came out this well. Most who go head to head with Lord Mystimon aren't so lucky."

"How can you call this lucky…?" Jill asked softly, hugging the arms around her. "He looked like someone tried to run him over or something…"

"Not a bad assessment of what happened…"

Jill shot a soft glare back at the flippant response, sighing and holding the arms to her tighter as she looked back to Erin.

"Ms. Jill? Ms. Witchmon?"

Witchmon's arms slipped from Jill as they turned around, finding the three younger children of the orphanage standing in the open doorway. Pushing the slight annoyance at herself for forgetting to shut the door, Jill smiled softly, keeping herself between the bed and the children. "Yes Mary? Can I help you?"

Mary shuffled her feet a little, standing in front of Angela and Darien. "Well, um… We wanted to know…"

"What happened to Erin!" Darien blurted out over Mary's shoulder, his impatience obviously making him jump over the shy girl verbally.

Jill forced herself to continue smiling as she watched the three, seeing the concerned and worried looks on their faces. "Erin needs to rest. If you want to know anything, you should go ask Ms. Klink. Now off with you, Ms. Klink said no one is to disturb him."

Jill stepped past Witchmon as the Adult moved to the side, starting to try and motion the children out of the room. As she almost had them out, Darien burst past her, running up to Erin's side and staring at the injured teen.

"Darien, come on." Jill said firmly, although leaving an opening in her attention for Mary and Angela to rush past and alongside the young boy. "Hey, Ms. Klink said we need to leave him alone, come on! Everyone out!"

"What's wrong with him?" Angela asked, her small fingers brushing the sheet next to the bruised arm, being careful not to touch it at all.

"Erin got hurt while he was gone, now…"

"Who did it?!" Darien nearly yelled, clutching the sheet tightly in his hands as he stared at the older boy.

Jill winced slightly, kneeling down behind the trio. "Darien, you need…"

"Who hurt Erin, Jill?! Why would someone do that?!" Darien interrupted her again, turning around to face the blonde.

"An old friend of mine…"

Jill blinked, turning her gaze to Witchmon as she spoke, as well as the three children.

Witchmon leaned against the wall behind her, crossing her arms under her chest. "Well, maybe not a friend now… In my old home, some people told lies about me, and made a lot of my old friends think badly of me. Unfortunately, this reflected on Erin and one of my friends beat him up."

Darien ran up the to Adult, looking up at her with angry and tear filled eyes. "Didn't anyone stop him? Your friends let him get away with that?"

"My friends… Well most won't get in his way with he's angry, and the rest don't care enough to say anything." Witchmon said softly.

"But that's not fair! Bullies shouldn't get away with that! Someone should make him have a timeout, or something!"

"Darien that's enough!" Jill said sternly, finally taking the boy's from the digimon. "I know your upset. We all are. But we will discuss this somewhere else. Erin needs to rest to get better, and yelling and running around him won't let him rest."

Placing her hands on her hips, Jill ran her gave over all three children, watching the girl's look away in embarrassment, while Darien just stayed quiet. "Now, I want you three out. Go to one of your rooms and stay there for now. Witchmon and I will see to bandaging Erin so he can get better, then we'll get Ms. Klink and talk all about this."

Jill watched the trio exit, blinking as Darien quickly stuck his head back in for a moment. Before the girl could say anything, the young boy quickly dashed off, the angered look still on his face.

"You do that well," Witchmon said softly as Jill finally let an exasperated sigh come out. "I think Ms. Klink would be proud of how well you imitate her"

Jill blinked at the comment, giving a small giggle as she realized she had been reacting the same way her caretaker would have. "Well, we wouldn't be able to bandage him, if they don't leave us be… Besides, maybe Ms. Klink can say something better to comfort them…"

Witchmon gave the girl a comforting smile, slipping closer and kissing her forehead. "Leave it to me… I think you need some rest yourself…" The digimon stroked her hands along the young girl's arms, nuzzling her forehead a little.

Giving a small sniffle, Jill wiped at her eyes slightly as she slowly pulled away. "N…no, that's ok. Erin needs to be bandaged, and I'll make sure it gets done too." Turning away from her friend, Jill quickly grabbed a bundle of the bandages in her hands, quickly setting to her task as she focused on it.

As Jill finished the first roll, about half way up Erin's arm, Witchmon held out a couple more, smiling softly down at her. "Well then, you'll need more then that one bandage."

Jill smiled softly, nodding in agreement as she took another bandage and continued wrapping.

---------------

"So then, he's a run away?" Alice asked.

Witchmon groaned slightly, having heard the girl ask that question for the third time. Instead of just the young children, Ms. Klink had decided it was best to have everyone involved in the conversation. Unfortunately, with the older woman trying to avoid voicing everything in front of Jack and Alice, despite how much the agent seemed to know already, it left the whole thing one big guessing game on what to say.

"It's more like, he's a special case…" Ms. Klink said, giving a glance towards her old flame as she spoke. "He had to leave for a time, and now he's back."

Jack shook his head with a sigh as he leaned back in his chairs, giving an annoyed look from the woman. "You said that already, but you're a horrible liar, Beverly. Why not just explain it to her simply? It's not like she doesn't know about digimon, since Witchmon and Piyomon have been here since she has."

Witchmon watched Beverly's glare deepen, while Alice's cheeks flushed slightly. Smirking slightly, the Adult stroked Neko's back softly, watching it all with a slight bit of fascination, although it all seemed like everyone was trying to overly complicate things to her.

'Erin took off assuming the human government wanted him, thus why Klink doesn't want Jack knowing anything.' Witchmon thought to herself, watching the conversation continue running in slow circles. 'Since Alice is child of the guy who kidnapped Jill, she wants her left out too.' It all seemed rather complicated, although over all, most things humans did seemed overly complicated to her.

"Anyone want something to drink?" The witch digimon asked, watching as the majority of the room ignored her completely in its continuous loop of arguments. Giving a sigh, she saw Jill was watching her as she moved to leave, tilting her head slightly. What, you want something to drink? She asked telepathically, more then content to ignore the rest right back.

Jill gave a quiet giggle as she heard the question, shaking her head no. Would you check on Erin for me? I doubt I could get away as easily right now… The young girl glanced at her caretaker sitting only a little away from her on the couch, once again trying to point out that Jack should keep quiet.

Witchmon nodded and quickly walked from the room, giving a sigh of relief as she heard the talking fading behind her. Getting a glass of water, the digimon was still a little confused about how the arguments had started. Originally, it had been to try and explain what was going on to the younger children, but before Witchmon could blink, the orphan's caretaker had started into some weird loop over covering up, trying not to say with Jack, Alice, or even Bobby around.

"Bobby's should be the last of her worries. He probably has the best idea of what's going on, out of everyone besides Erin and myself." Witchmon said to herself, setting the now empty glass down on the counter. "I mean, at least he's not pestering her about it…"

Hearing a sudden yell of anger from the older woman all the way in the living room, Witchmon jumped and peeked into the hallway. Not seeing anyone exiting the room, she at least assumed no one was injured. At least no one besides Jack anyway.

Walking down the hall, Witchmon found herself humming one of the human songs that Jill was always listening to. She couldn't recall the name of it, but it was by someone named Christy Angelo or something to that extent. She could remember it wasn't so bad, at least for human music. It was a lot better then listening to a Gekomon play, at the least.

Opening the door to the room Erin had been resting in, Witchmon's hum turned into an off-note whistle as she blinked in surprise. The bed was empty, bandages thrown all over in a mess, and the clothing Erin had been wearing before was gone. If not for the bandages and her own memory of leaving him here, it was almost as if Erin hadn't been in the room at all.

'But where could he… Wait, he wouldn't!' Ending the thought abruptly, Witchmon bolted back down the stairs, running away from the living room as she ran to the office where the computer normally was, bursting in quickly.

As the Adult had feared, the Digital Gate was active on the computer screen, having already closed. Muttering a few curses, she sat down and checked the computer programs, finding the message board and e-mail service for the partner humans shrunk on the screen.

Witchmon was more then a little surprised to find a couple posts asking why a few gates had been opened from the computer, quickly explaining the return from the Digital World and Erin's reentry in as few words as possible as she tried to decide what to do. Going after the boy seemed the logical choice, but Jill would probably let nature call in her panties if she found out Erin and she both were missing.

As her muddled thoughts tried to think of a plan of action, the appearance of a small box on the screen distracted her for a moment. Reading the message from the person, Witchmon's mouth smirked softly, typing a quick reply and adding the gate that Erin had apparently opened.

"Well, she should certainly get him back here. Least now all I have to do is worry about explaining how he ran off again…" Witchmon sighed as she slumped in the chair, realizing she probably had a more difficult task then the girl going after Erin did.

---------------

The blades of grass blew softly in the wind, giving the plains a wavelike appearance. With the clear skies, the ground seemed to just go on forever, a large lake far in the distance the only thing that seemed to be the only thing that broke the sea of green stretching out across the sparsely wooded lands.

'I lost…' Erin thought, forcing his legs to keep moving. Despite the aches and pains, his body was still feeling, most of the major problems seemed to have already healed up, leaving himself with a bruised and weak left arm, as well as a sluggishly moving body.

No matter how often he ran the fight over in his head, he couldn't seem to figure it out. He had finally begun to get the upper hand, his renewed strength from Miragemon's healing letting him nearly fight on par with Mystimon. It had seemed in his reach.

'Then he smacked me down like a bug.' Erin thought with disgust, turning and walking towards the sparse tree line and sitting against one of the trees. 'With that kind of power, he could have beaten me at any time. I wasn't even a challenge in the end… Just something to amuse Mystimon for a short time, until he got tired of playing…'

"Maybe I'm not cut out for this… No matter what I try, it just turns sour…" Erin muttered to himself, closing his eyes as he leaned his head back. Feeling the breeze on his cheek, he tried to not think about his problems, focusing on the peacefulness of the area he had gated to.

In all honesty, the teen couldn't seem to think why he had picked this specific gate. When he woke up to find himself in a bed of the orphanage, he hadn't wasted any time unbandaging himself and sneaking to the computer. But the minute he had the gate open, it was almost some soft urge in the back of his mind that seem to start up, nudging him until he picked the gate he had entered. It wasn't as if he knew where he was, after all.

"Maybe that's better…" Erin said softly, opening his eyes a little as he looked up at the clouds in the sky. "Maybe if I'm lost, I won't be able to trouble anyone…"

"You stop that talk right this second, Erin Storm!"

Erin blinked at the voice, easily recognizing it but no less startled. Turning his head, he was surprised to see how close his company had gotten without him noticing. The largest of the trio was a centaur digimon that was acting as the ride for the pair of girls. Small circular plates on random places of his body, with a helmet sitting on it's head, showing a T-shaped slit that seemed to give the single eye it had enough room to move around freely.

"Hello to you too, Mimi."

Sliding off the digimon's back, Mimi's face was quite different from the last time she had seen the teen, giving him quite the stern look. Although with a snug flag colored shirt, a large star on her chest, and a pair of jean shorts, it was hard to completely take the brunette as a threat.

Placing her hands on her hips, Mimi walked right up to Erin, standing at his feet and looking down at him. "Don't you hello me! Now why aren't you at the orphanage healing? Witchmon said Jill's in a fit right now from your disappearance!"

Grunting softly, Erin glanced back to the centaur digimon, noticing the second rider better. Wearing a simply black T-shirt and jeans of her own, the other girl was definitely more American looking then Mimi, although with the tanned skin and shoulder length black hair, he wasn't quite sure if he could say for certain. As he stood, he could make out a small white cross hanging from her neck, showing the girl was at least some form of Christian, by Erin's guess.

Just as he righted himself, still leaning against the tree, Erin was surprised as a hand cupped under his chin and turned his face back towards Mimi, the girl's brown eyes looking directly into his own red ones.

"Don't ignore me by gawking at Maria, Erin. Now why did you leave?"

"Because it's better this way…" Erin shook the hand from his face, watching Mimi fold her arms as he rubs his left arm absently. "If I'm there, someone will attack. And with how useless I am, it'd only leave everyone in danger."

Mimi blinked, staring at the boy as he spoke. "Useless? Since when are you useless?" She asked, her tone showing her strong disbelief.

"Mystimon whipped me around like a child…" Erin said a little gruffly, pushing himself off the tree, stepped so his should was even with Mimi's. "How am I supposed to protect anyone, if I got beat so soundly?"

Mimi's eyes watched the boy, giving him an exasperated look for a moment. "THAT'S all this is about? You lost a fight, and now you're ready to just quit?"

Erin wrinkled his nose, turning and starting to walk again.

"I thought you were made of better stuff, Erin Storm. Leaving your family and friends alone, when they need you the most." Mimi called out, her tone relaying her disappointment.

Stopping, Erin glanced back over his shoulder, giving the girl a look as she spoke. "What are you talking about? Their better off without me…"

Mimi frowned, not moving as she continued. "I'm talking about this sudden urge to run. You know even without you there, digimon will still appear trying to go after Witchmon. Like that FlaWizarmon she told me about. So what happens?"

"Bobby will help protect him." Erin turned slightly back to the trio, his own frown having returned to his face. "And Witchmon can still fight."

"Bobby will be going back to Oklahoma soon, you know. Besides that blackout you had, there hasn't been any activity, so he won't be staying forever. And what if the digimon that comes is a Perfection, and only Witchmon is left to fight it?"

Erin frowned further as he listened, looking down at his feet as he stood with his unhurt side to them. He hadn't thought about when Bobby would be leaving, but he knew she was right about Witchmon not being able to handle a Perfection on her own.

"You know…" The teen turned his head slightly, hearing Maria speak up as the digimon walked up alongside Mimi. "I always heard if you lose at something, the best thing to do is learn from it and try to do better afterward."

The digimon turned his head back, speaking up with an almost gentle voice for such a large creature. "That is true, Maria. Learn from your mistakes and loses, so you may become a better person from them."

"See Erin?" Mimi smiled softly as she watched him. "Maria and Kentarumon are right. You shouldn't let something like this make you decide you can't do it anymore. After all, you were picked for a reason, meaning only you can do whatever fate has in store."

Erin spent a full minute in silence thinking over the words as he stood there. "Alright… I'll go back." He said softly, getting a small cheer from Mimi over it. "But after I check something out."

"What's something?" Maria asked before Mimi could, the trio moving closer to the teen as he rub his arm a little more.

"I'm not sure…" Erin said softly as he looked back over the grassy plains. "I just… had a feeling, you know? I need to find out what it is."

"Then we'll go with you!" Mimi volunteered.

Erin blinked, as he looked back, Mimi already climbing back onto Kentarumon's back. "Wait a minute, you don't…."

Mimi looked around the centaur's shoulder, her lids low as she gave a look similar to the one she gave when she first arrived. "I said we'll go with you."

Erin stared back a second, finally nodding, which brought a cheer and smile from Mimi again. Giving a soft sigh, the teen started walking again, soon flanked by the trio.

"Erin?" Looking up, Erin watched as Maria sat behind Mimi, looking down at him as she held onto the older girl's hips. "If you want, Kentarumon has enough room for you."

Shaking his head, Erin gave the young girl a soft smile. "No thanks. I feel like staying on my own feet for the moment."

---------------

"Dang, my feet are sore…" Erin muttered softly.

Having spent a good portion of the day walking, making their way around the lake finally and coming close to a hilly area, Mimi had finally asked for a stop, pointing out that nature was calling. Taking Maria with her, Erin and Kentarumon had been left back on the edge of the forest as the girls took the moment for themselves.

Sitting against one of the tree, Erin rubbed the soles of his feet with his shoes next to him. He was started to regret not accepting the offer for a ride, but he felt too stubborn about it, always feeling sure the feeling he was following was close, no matter how much ground they covered.

'Maybe I'm just imaging it. Something to take my mind off the fact of what happened with Mystimon.' Erin mused with a sigh. While his mood had been slowly picking up with the conversations of the two girl's and Maria's partner, he was still having issues about his defeat.

Finally slipping his shoes back on, Erin glanced up, noticing Kentarumon was staring at him with his arms crossed, just as he had been when Maria and Mimi had walked away. "What, is something wrong?"

"I'm making sure you do nothing to Mimi and Maria's virtue."

Erin almost fell over at the comment, looking up at the centaur digimon with a look of bewilderment. "Their virtue? What would I do to their virtue?"

Kentarumon sniffed slightly, moving a little closer as he put himself more between where the girls had gone, and where Erin was. "Human men seem to have a preoccupation with trying to see females with a lack of clothing. After listening to a Steve discussing this with Michael once, I knew I must watch males when Maria is around."

Erin rubbed his forehead slightly. "So, you're worried I'll go peep on Maria and Mimi?" He watched the digimon nod in agreement, sighing as his frustration continued growing slowly. "Look, I personally like me skin, which I would lose very painfully if I tried something like that. Don't worry about it, trust me…"

Sitting back against the tree again, Erin shook his head, noticing Kentarumon hadn't moved. If the digimon was convinced he would try and look at the girl's, then he could just sit there, for all he cared.

The waiting didn't last too long, as Maria's voice echoed through the forest, giving a piercing scream. Erin stared back at the forest in shock as he jumped to his feet, trailing behind as Kentarumon leapt into the forest, barely missing a step. Keeping up, Erin followed the digimon into a clearing not too far from the edge, stopping behind the centaur as the pair surveyed the area.

"Eeek! Get out of here!" Erin barely registered what was going on as piece of fruit smacked him in the face. The pair blinked for a moment, finally seeing Maria hiding behind a guarding Mimi. As the realization that a pair of jeans were sitting about a half a foot from the girls, Erin felt his cheeks redden, turning around quickly and moving behind a tree, seeing Kentarumon following suit as the digimon slipped back from the clearing. If Erin didn't know any better, he almost thought he could see a faint red flush inside the helmet. After a few minutes, Mimi walked out from the cleaning between the teen and Digimon, Maria following with a soft flush on her cheeks and her clothing back in place.

"Don't you boys knock? You almost scared Maria half to death from embarrassment." Mimi scolded, as she helped Maria up onto Kentarumon's back.

Kentarumon looked back at the girl's, waiting for Mimi to get on in behind Maria before he spoke up. "But, we heard Maria scream. We worried something was attacking you."

"I just saw someone peeping… When I saw them from behind one of the trees, it startled me…" Maria answered, clinging tightly onto Kentarumon's back as the digimon began walking back out of the forest.

Erin smiled softly, resisting not laughing at the embarrassing moment as he followed along, rubbing his left arm as he flexed it slightly, feeling it move a little easier then before.

---------------

"Is this it?"

Erin nodded to Mimi's question. With the evening starting to settle in, the feeling in the back of the teen's head had finally stopped being vague. With a large field stretching around the large hill, a temple stood at the top, the shadows from the setting sun beginning to play around the entrance facing them.

"No doubt about it… It's here…" Erin said, more to himself then anything.

As Kentarumon began to walk towards the temple, Erin held his hand up to the trio. "No. You guys can go home."

"We said were going with you, didn't we?" Mimi protested to the red eyed teen.

"And I appreciate it. But I'm going in on my own. Please, just trust me on this."

Mimi opened her mouth again, her face showing her urge to protest further, before Maria stepped in. "We shall wait. We still have time before we need to be in bed. You go ahead, and we'll wait for you here."

Erin looked back at the pair, seeing Mimi obviously still wanted to argue, but felt grateful when she simply sniffed in assent to Maria's words. "I'll hurry, I promise." Not wanting to give the brown haired girl a moment to decide to change her mind, the hybrid teen leapt into the air, using some of the extra strength and energy his fused state granted him to cover the last bit of ground between him and the temple.

A trail of steps raced from the base of the hill, running straight up the large entrance to the temple. Despite the length, the adrenaline from finally finding the source of this curiosity helped Erin sprint up the stairs in record time. Around the frame, odd patterns seemed to be etched into the stone, many looking familiar from place where Hilary had found her Digimental, although it didn't help him at all in knowing what it meant.

'Something… It's calling me still…' Erin thought, as he glanced down the large corridor. With pillars lining the way, he began walking, the light fading from the doorway, to a small glow seeming to come from everywhere. Following the feeling tugging at his mind, he began turning and twisting in the temple's corridors, changing hallways and walking down stairs, making sure to mentally track the slowly descending path we was being called down.

"You've come…"

The female voice made Erin stop in his tracks, looking around the identical hallway in an attempt to find the source. "Are you the one who called me?" Despite the glowing filling the hall, no shadows seems to be coming from anything out of the ordinary, simply small ones for himself and the pillars.

"I am… Please, continue… You are almost there…"

Frowning slightly, Erin began to walk again. He could feel that tugged, something beckoning him, at the end of the hallway he was in. The worry of a possible trap continued to play in his mind, hoping he was falling for something so obvious, as sound of his own footsteps echoed around him.

Eventually, the apparent goal of Erin's searching came into view. A tall pedestal, almost as high as his chest, stood in a circular room, ending the hallway. On it, the glow that had filled the temple's halls seemed double in strength, soon showing a small, white orb that radiated the light in the small room. Finally getting within its reach, Erin could almost feel a gentle heat coming off the glowing item.

"Sit… And rest…"

Blinking for a moment, Erin rubbed his hand over his face. He did feel a little tired, after the walk here and everything else. Sitting down against the pedestal, the teen rested his head on the stone's surface, staring at the ceiling for a moment. After all, a small nap couldn't hurt…

---------------

"Awake, Dark Guardian…"

Erin's eyes flew open, the voice catching his attention quickly. As he glanced around, gray filled his vision, surrounding him completely as he floated in the seeming endless void. His clothing remained intact, despite his lack of notice, as he searched around for anything aside from himself.

"Where have you brought me?!" Erin's voice almost came out in a growl, red eyes darting from place to place, nothing but gray to be found as he searched. His fists clenched tightly, sure his worry over falling into a trap had been founded now, as he spun in the nothingness. "Who are you?!"

"I am… That is all you need to know…"

Erin's growl gained a bit of volume at the cryptic answer, the voice coming from all around him. "Then why I am here?"

"I must be sure. Sure the path you follow, is the one you wish."

"Path?" Erin blinked, giving up his futile searching as he began just casually glancing around as he spoke. "What do you mean?"

"The path you follow, is not an easy one." The voice echoed faintly, no longer seeming to fade off as it had before. "If you wish to follow it, you will be forced to deal with things you may not wish too…"

Crossing his arms, Erin gave a small snort. "I've already had to… So what would be the difference?"

"Death…"

Erin tensed at the word. "My death?" He said, a little surprised at the bluntness. While the fights he had been in had well shown he could die in almost any one of them, the teen had still not really given the thought of his own death too much of a thought.

The female voice paused for a minute, before giving the shocked teenager a response. "Your death… Others as well… Loved ones… Friends and family… Even strangers… All could result, from the decision you must make…"

Frowning, the hybrid boy looked up above him some. "And just what is that decision?"

"To continue on as the Dark Guardian… Or not…"

Erin blinked. "You mean… Whether or not to give up being Black War Humon?" He asked back.

"Yes. If you wish to continue down the path, you must be sure… Hesitation could be disastrous… Thus, a decision must be made…"

Crossing his arms and legs, Erin let himself slowly spin in the void as he mulled over the thoughts. On one hand, lay the path as his hybrid alter ego, with battles and possible death… While not exactly easy so far, he has always assumed he had no choice in the matter of walking it. On the other hand, now he had the chance to just be a normal kid again. No digimon battles, no walking a razor's edge to try and stay alive, as one thing or another comes after him. Just a normal, everyday, life…

Erin's eyes widened as something else entered the void, almost sounding like a scream. Straightening himself out, he looked around, sure the source was from outside of… well, wherever he was. "Hey, what was that?"

"You must decide now. Once you have chosen, there is no turning back…"

A soft growl escaped Erin's throat, hearing that scream again, barely on the edge of his hearing. He looked down at his hands, his thoughts barely able to keep a straight thought as that wrenching noise continued ringing in his ears as he tried to focus. To continue on as Black War Humon, or to simply be Erin Storm… Which truly was the path he wanted…

---------------

Mimi glared softly at the Bakemon, watching the overly large ghosts circling around them. While they had continued to wait for Erin, the numerous group had almost appeared out of nowhere, attacking without provocation. At while the blue fists flying out and slamming occasionally into Kentarumon were keeping her and Maria from getting back onto the centaur digimon, the japanese girl was at least thankful Bakemon as a whole weren't very strong.

"Won't you at least tell us why you're here?" Maria questioned to the ghosts. It was her third time trying, still apparently unsuccessful as the laughter and circling continued. Frowning slightly, Mimi was wondering the same thing. Aside from one story she had been told about, back from her own first adventure, it didn't seem normal for over a dozen Bakemon to be working together in such an organized pattern.

Several minutes passed, the occasional fist from the ghosts slamming the centaur for a moment, before they simply resumed moving around them. 'I wish I had gotten a hold of Palmon to come with us now… At least then, we might have been able to do something more…' Mimi thought as she stepped back a little, feeling Maria right behind her as they stood at Kentarumon's flanks. 'Hope Erin's alright too…'

Finally the circling stopped, as two of the Bakemon near the forest parted, allowing a new figure to come into view, much to Mimi's dismay. While the Bakemon's white, and slightly raggy, covering had merely given Mimi a feeling of annoyance, the dark clothing and red hood of the new specter was a much worse feeling. The gleaming coming off the golden scythe didn't help the brown haired girl's feeling, while the crystal eyeball hanging around it on a chain just made the Phantomon look creepy, if nothing else.

"Now, this is a treat…" Mimi could tell Maria and Kentarumon were both looking at the Phantomon now, as she kept herself between the younger Digi-Destined as the apparent leader of the organized Bakemon. "Lord Phelesmon told us we may run into one human, but not two… Of course, one being a Digi-Destined makes this all the better…"

'Phelesmon? The one Erin's having a problem with?' The Japanese girl thought, as she put herself a little more between Phantomon and Maria. "Look, we were just passing through?" She said cheerfully, smiling sweetly. "If you don't mind, we kinda need to get home, before our dinner gets cold."

As Mimi tried to move Maria towards Kentarumon again, the blade of the scythe appeared in front of her, blocking her path and bringing her attention back to the blade's owner. "Oh, I'm afraid you'll be late for more then dinner…"

Mimi frowned at the digimon's words. She had really hoped it would be simple at the Bakemon had seemed, but unfortunetly it wasn't, quite obviously. While jumping on Kentarumon and simply running was still an option, the chance of making it away was even less with a Perfection around. And with her inability to simply leave Erin here, his lack of appearance was another problem to the whole equation.

'Wait…' Mimi blinked, glancing back at the temple as she felt… Well, she felt something moving inside of it, coming closer at a fast rate. Grinning a bit, she turned back around, she smiled sweetly up at Phantomon again. "I think it might be a good idea to just let us now." She offered politely.

"Really now…" Phantomon laughed a little, the Bakemon following in turn before the leader's cloak covered arm moved to stop them when he did. "And why should I do that?"

Mimi's smile never wavered, as Maria and Kentarumon looked up to the temple themselves. "My friend won't like you threatening us. And he has slight anger management issues."

The laughter kicked up again as Mimi glanced back to the temple's entrance, watching it for a moment longer, before a flash of black flew from the doorway. "I warned you…" She said softly, as the armored form of Black War Humon slammed into the ground in front of her.

---------------

"You didn't have to kill them, you know…" Mimi grumbled as they walked along the temple corridor.

Shaking his head, Erin groaned softly, having been listening to the argument over his actions for over ten minutes. "Look, can we just drop it? They weren't gonna let us go, and I wasn't going to let them just do whatever…"

"Still didn't have to kill them…"

Sighing, Erin looked down to Maria, holding her Patamon, Kentarumon's Child form, in her arms. Walking down another flight of stairs, the teen rubbed the back of his head, retracing his way back into the temple. While he his memory was feeling a little fuzzy still, he was fairly certain that they were almost to the room with the orb. 'Hopefully, that voice will give me some answers this time…'

Two more turns followed, Mimi still obviously upset at Erin a bit from her mutterings, as they neared the end of the trail. Upon walking down what Erin was certain was the final flight of stairs, he stood in surprise at the black passage before him, darkness filling it, as the girl's bumped into his back in surprise.

"This isn't right… There's supposed to be light in here, the same as the rest of the temple…" Erin frowned, his eyes adjusting with the bit of light coming from the top of the stairs, letting him be able to look down the now quite creepy looking hallway.

"Maybe someone took out the battery?" Mimi offered from behind the teen.

Erin flexed his hands slightly. "Wait here… I'll be back in a minute…" Not giving much of a chance to respond, the red eyed teenager walked swiftly down the hallway, able to make out the pillars on his sides as he went. Soon enough, he reached the end, stopping as he bumped into the pedestal. With the darkness thickest in the small room, Erin felt over the surface, finding a small indention in the center, with a pattern etched into it.

"Gone…" Erin growled in frustration.

Manaical laughter echoed in the temple, making Erin jump back from the pedestal in surprise. The voice was unmistakable to the teen, as the laughing finally began to die down.

"Did you really think I would leave such a find, little hybrid?" Phelesmon's voice echoed, similar to the woman's voice before.

"Where's the orb, Phelesmon?! Give it back!" Erin yelled into the darkness above him, for lack of anywhere else to focus his anger.

Laughter rose up again for a moment, before the demon continued. "If you want it so badly, I think not… After all, one does not run across a holy orb everyday… A Phantomon and some Bakemon are easily worth the price of such a relic"

'Holy orb?' Erin thought curiously.

"How can you just casually brush them aside?!"

Erin jumped as Mimi's voice yelled right in his ear, finally hearing a small clacking of hooves on the temple floor. He could tell Kentarumon was obviously back, although apparently Mimi wasn't riding him, as she continued her berating of the demon's voice. "Even if they weren't good, they were loyal to you, how can you just push aside their death so easily, especially for a simple item!"

Phelesmon's laughter grew back to the maniacal laughter from the start as he listened to the Chosen speak. "I have no care who dies, as long as I get ahead… I can't see why he worries over Chosen and Digi-Destined so much, if this is how they act… It's a wonder an Impmon can't rule the Digital World, with this kind of protection…"

Putting his hand on Mimi's shoulder, getting the girl to stop before she shot back, Erin glanced around the dark room, still unable to make anything out. "If it were so easy, you wouldn't be hiding… Or are you really scared?" Erin smirked slightly, listening to a response.

One, however, never came. After a few minutes, Erin gave a small growl of frustration, assuming the demon had taken the chance to run, and taking the Holy Orb with him. Shaking his head, he turned his thoughts back to the matter at hand, trying to feel the indention of the pedestal, to figure out what was etched into it. Just as his fingers felt the pattern, a sharp light flashed from nowhere, making him clutch his eyes in pain.

"Sorry…" Maria offered sheepishly as she handed the small flashlight down to Mimi. "I thought you heard me, when I warned I was turning it on…"

Erin took a minute to blink the stars out of his eyes, before he saw Mimi and Maria had joined him at the pedestal. With the flashlight on the place where the holy orb has been sitting, Erin could finally make the etching out, seeing a small circle at center of it, with small points around it, almost like a star pattern.

"The Crest of Light…" Mimi said, sounding a little surprised as she traced the pattern. "It's the same symbol. But, I know Hikari's never been here…"

Erin frowned slightly, remembering the various symbols Hilary had described when they had found her Digimental. "The same as the Digimental, too… Maybe it's because of the holy orb Phelesmon stole?"

Mimi ran the light around the room, not seeming to find anything as she finally began walking back towards Kentarumon with Maria behind her. "Maybe… But it seems odd to find the symbol AFTER the item was gone… But anyway, we should head back. Everyone will worry, if we're all not home soon…"

Hearing Mimi and Maria get onto the centaur and start back down the hall, Erin traced his fingers over the pattern for Light etched into the stone. Finally, he turned and followed along as he heard the girl's calling him to lead the way out.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Rocker- So ends another chapter.

ToyAgu- Yea, eventually…

Flora- Oh, your just pouting because of where the fight scene cut off…

Rocker- Yea yea… I think he'll manage…

Flora Well, next time, Erin's trying to adjust to living in the orphanage again. But when a hint of a possible Phelesmon sighting makes him leave, just what could happen? What? The sighting was in California?! Stay tuned tuned next time, for "Happy Reunions, Demon's Return", on the next Dark Diaries!


End file.
